This month I would like to start with by congratulating ANEN for the III Nautical Congress, which has consolidated itself as one of the most important events of the sector. Various representatives and members of AENIB had the pleasure to participate in the congress and to receive information about the most important novelties first hand.
Another relevant piece of news this month has been the unified opposition of the sector against the rise of the T0 tax. AENIB, as it could not be any other way, has given its total support to the protest. We must also not forget that in a less than a months time the Palma Boat Show will take place. As every year, AENIB will participate again.
The Nautical Congress of ANEN has become one of the most important reference points of the sector. Every year it attracts an increasing number of companies, tradesmen and specialists to debate over the future of yachting. On our website and social networking pages you can find a lot of news and articles about the congress, but for us the most important aspects are the fiscal treatment of the sector and the recovery currently taking place in the nautical sector in Spain and in the rest of Europe.
We talked already at length of the recovery at the Annual General Meeting in February. When it comes to taxation, the Tax Office has quantified the income from the Matriculation Tax at 20 million euros a year - a completely irrelevant figure in macroeconomic terms. This tax only serves to chase our clients away. Less clients in the sector means less VAT and other taxes and fees for the Administration. The Matriculation Tax is counterproductive in every kind of way and we don´t rest until it has been completely eliminated. We have already managed to get the charter yachts exempt, and although it is a great achievement it is insufficient. The same applies with other aspects of legislation and taxation of the recreational yachting, which only forces the potential customers to spend their holidays elsewhere. We have to be rational here – according to the Balearic Government, in 2013 the Balearic Islands received 444.000 nautical tourists with a total spending of 428 million euros. What would happen if Spain applied the same taxation and legislation as our competitors? The nautical industry would the spearhead of the Balearic economy. There would be no match to us.
