Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

The Full Council has agreed on the provisional approval of tax by-laws for 2021, which involves freezing municipal taxes and maintaining the 75% tax reduction for bar and restaurant terraces from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. Pro-independence groups chose to abstain alongside the PP and BCN Canvi, calling for dialogue to amend the current text for it to be definitively approved. The new proposal for by-laws would mean a cut in the anticipated municipal income of between 60 and 70 million euros.

The changes to the by-laws are in line with the rest of the tax measures to support the city’s economic fabric, in particular SMEs and the self-employed, which have been broadened since the arrival of the pandemic and the state of emergency.

In this regard, and with a view to 2021, the City Council has decided to freeze municipal tax rates and maintain the 75% reduction in the tax on bar and restaurant terraces. The rest of municipal tax by-laws will be subject to minor changes.

Main changes

• Technical changes to the tax on economic activity (IAE), the property tax (IBI) and the tax on building, installations and works (ICIO) to explain and facilitate access to the discount for solar energy and thermal efficiency. The changes clarify the regimes for the application of these taxes, the economic limits and the documentation required.
• By-law to include the tax on the economic exploitation of shared electric hand scooters in public highways, in the same way as it does for bicycles and mopeds.
• Discount of 95% of the property tax for homes with social rents promoted by non-profit organisations, built on public land to enable this type of housing to be constructed.
• Obligation of auto-payment of costs relating to the removal, transfer and custody at the municipal compound of elements located in public streets without authorisation.
• Elimination of the tax for sending digitised documents.
• Update to pricing for occupying the public highway for the purposes of moving house, setting up scaffolding or other elements.
• Tariff of 2.5 euros per pick-up and set-down stop made by the Bus Turístic.

Cemetery cervices

Discounts of 95% of the concession of group 4 sepulchres and price reductions for group 3 and group 2 sepulchres.

In addition, the cost of designating beneficiaries is to drop and the cost of transfers eliminated. The cost of group mausoleum sepulchres will be lowered by 30% and the tax on the arrangement of sepulchres eliminated.