Málaga dismisses inspection plan for rubbish tax applied to tourist apartments

The Town Hall has dismissed an inspection plan that would force all tourist apartments to pay the rubbish taxes. The government rejected the proposal from Adelante Málaga, even though only 45 per cent of these properties have paid the municipal tax.

PP and Ciudadanos at the Town Hall have ruled out the possibility of implementing a tourist housing inspection plan. The main objective of this plan was to increase the collection of rubbish taxes that only 45 per cent of owners pay. Adelante Málaga proposed the plan with the aim of putting regulation in place in a sector they consider to be ‘out of control’.

The rejection was justified on the grounds that the inspection of holiday accommodation is the responsibility of the Junta de Andalucía. In total, Málaga has collected €229,465 for this tax, far from the estimated €400,000. The only steps the Town Hall has taken so far is contacting renting platforms, requesting they take measures so that the properties comply with their fiscal obligations.

Until this tax was approved, tourist rental properties were taxed like any residential home, through the IBI. In 2018, it was changed that in addition to paying IBI, hotels and rental apartments would also have to pay an extra amount depending on the number of rooms and the establishment.