Jimena to lower 'contribuciones' again

(Press release) Jimena Council has decided to lower the Impuesto de Bienes Inmuebles (IBI, or contribuciones as the council tax was known). This is the second time the tax has been lowered, aimed at compensating the large increase in valuations made by the central administration (known as el catastrazo). Last year's percentage calculation was 0.60% and as from next year will be 0.502% of the cadastral value of our properties. It will be approved at the Council's Plenary Session next week. "This comes about as the result of the promise we made in 2008 to help out with the brutal raises made by the Treasury," said Mayor Pascual Collado. This makes Jimena the cheapest place to live in the Campo de Gibraltar, after Tarifa, according to the Confederación de Empresarios de Cádiz, the average cost being €257.69 per home unit. There are also bonuses for certain categories of taxpayers.>
The Council is offering discounts and bonuses to familias numerosas (i.e. large families) of the municipality. To guarantee that this help gets to as many families as possible, the categories in which they might be are distributed as follows:

• From €0 to 40,000 of cadastral value. (€0 to 30,000 last year)
• From €40,000 to 70,000 (30,000 to 60,000 last year)
• From €70,000 to €100,000 (60,000 to 90,000 last year)

Help will also vary according to the number of persons in the family unit (3, 4, 5 or more children), which the Mayor believes will favourably impact a significant percentage of families, who will be able to obtain discounts that range from 10 to 50%. Only 8 municipalities in the province of Cádiz offer similarhelp for familias numerosas.