Illegal or not illegal lets
Dear Sir,
If, as Phil Green wrote yesterday, there is no such thing as illegal letting, then maybe he can explain why so many people I know have been fined for it in recent years. The usual fine has been 30,500 eur -os which is normally reduced to 3,050 euros upon admitting the “crime” and paying in cash. Disregarding the actual letting, the crime is already committed, according to the Bureau of Tourism, as soon as a property is offered for holiday rental, whether it be in a newspaper, magazine or on the internet.
By a combination of sheer stupidity, a refusal to move with the times, fiscal incompetence and its cowardice in bowing to the demands of the hotel associations, the Majorcan Government loses out on millions and millions of euros each and every year. The overwhelming majority of holiday-apartment owners would be delighted to cough up a reasonable amount, maybe 300 or 600 euros, for a rental licence that would allow them to operate everything above board. They would also be happy to pay tax on the profit they earn.
This is how it works in other countries, and so it should here. When will those in charge get it through their thick heads that we are now in a free economy in the 21st century and not back in Franco’s time – the modern demands of the public, that to book, via the internet, holiday apartments must be respected and should actually be supported, as it is far more beneficial to the local community than having all the money spent by visitors ending up in the pockets of just a few already-wealthy hoteliers. Individual traders operating cafes, restaurants, bars & supermarkets also need to be respected, supported and certainly not ignored. At the moment the government has shown itself to be firmly on the side of their hotelier friends and that has to change, otherwise even the all-inclusive guests, when they do eventually venture outside their hotels, will soon be asking why the businesses in the streets outside are closing down.
Maybe they will then regret their decision to accept dollops of sub-standard food and watered-down drinks just to save some money (although, in reality, they are harming their health). An easy solution to that particular issue would be to make it mandatory for hotels to offer a fixed reduction - maybe 30 € per day - to guests wishing to opt out of an all-inclusive arrangement, something I suspect many would do once they see how low the standard of those deals generally are.
Sincerely
James Brent
Magalluf
Dear Sir,
Humphrey Carter, in his article about the rosy future of the Spanish economy, something I’m not so sure about, mentions the old generation of politicians and their deep pockets. I don’t know if by old he is referring to their age or by time held in power. Quite frankly, it’s the newer generations that could be in power in the not too distant future that worry me.
Yours sincerely
Simon Tow