Lay My Hat

Sorry that I haven't posted this before but I think everybody now knows.
Just in case; the tourist tax in Catalunya has doubled this year from 45 cents per night/person to 90 cents.

That is to pay for the buses that have been vandalised by the anti tourism group in Barcelona.

No! It's for the buses to go to the big Independence rally in September. Or maybe it's to buy the ballot boxes: they're having some trouble there.
Actually, while you mention the damage to the buses. It really is a big silly. What has really happened is that all the squatters (ocupa) have been turfed out of the bank-owned properties because they sold them to holiday-let investors. So now the ex-squatters are blaming the tourists for their misery.
Have you seen that the Green party in Scotland are having a go at holiday letting in Edinburgh. They want to charge owners the commercial council rates instead of council tax.
Like Donald says, it's all fake news.

Stop it..... The last lot of politics on LMH unsettled a lot of members.
Agree you have to double check the facts you read no matter who gives it.

You just don't get my Scottish humour.
Seriously, without getting involved in politics, both the tourist tax and the aggressive anti-tourism demonstrations are part of the wider picture that is killing the holiday-let business.
You will recall how a few years ago I was all in favour of the regulation of holiday renting. As an owner I felt uncomfortable when we were drifting outside the net.
But it has all gone over the top. The penalties if you make an error are horrendous while half of the properties on offer are still not legally registered.
In Spain it is compounded by regionalisation. Each region has a different set of rules. I optimistically thought they'd all adopt the Catalan model but some of the regions still haven't really decided what the rules have to be. The Balearics government has stopped all registrations for a year and pushed the decision out to the local councils.
What was needed was standardisation and it's all a big mess.
I started this post by highlighting the increase in tourist tax. I think (but not sure) that it only applies to Catalunya. So it is doubly strange that the "protestors" have picked Catalunya to start their anti-tourist wars.

The protests are everywhere. In one newspaper there is even a photo of anti tourism sentiment in Oviedo of all places.
The protesters in the Balearic islands have now been adding anti tourism stickers on hire cars. The Basque country has seen some anti tourist sentiment.
Coincidently President Rajoy was at a locally based company of a a hotel group celebrating it's 40th anniversary.
https://politica.elpais.com/politica/20 ... 41943.html
Spain will never standardise anything. They cannot even agree how to drive around a flipping roundabout let alone do something complicated like organise a country wide registration system for tourism.

Everybody knows roundabouts are for overtaking. If you're a slow-joe you take the right lane so the others can zip through on the left. Except if you have a truck, in which case you occupy both lanes.
In one way streets you must obey the one way rule except if you are on a bicycle or live in the street.
The brown organic bin is for large plastic bottles.

You made me smile Costa Brava.
Everyone also knows that overtaking whilst approaching a cross roads is good for getting the blood pumping. Wait until you're behind a few lorries so your sight line is obstructed and get a hell of a shock when someone cheekily wants to turn left in front of you ! How dare they

Sorry for going off thread but the above is my pet hate

Farly you and CB do not realise that the Guardia Civil (Spanish Police) issued a statement via twitter which went against the advice that is normally issued about going around a roundabout.

Hence the comment that this country cannot even regulate some as simple as that. There is really no hope for Spain to regulate anything else.

The same with tourist taxes. The country cannot organise this either as most of Spain does not have them.

However Cataluña is good at collecting tourist taxes and anti-tourism groups. Maybe even better after Catxit

costa-brava wrote:Everybody knows roundabouts are for overtaking. If you're a slow-joe you take the right lane so the others can zip through on the left. Except if you have a truck, in which case you occupy both lanes.
In one way streets you must obey the one way rule except if you are on a bicycle or live in the street.
The brown organic bin is for large plastic bottles.

I beg to differ. Roundabouts are not for overtaking, they are for parking when you wish to be as close to the chemist/vet/liquor store as you can without the annoying consideration of the safety of other road users. Surely everyone knows that, just as surely as when you are actually moving you must occupy the right hand lane at a roundabout when intending to turn left and the left hand lane when intending to turn right. Intending to go straight ahead will find you in any random lane, and that allows you to change your direction of travel without warning. Regardless of which lane you occupy it is compulsory to give no clue as to your intentions, so please keep your hands off your indicators in order to sharpen the reactions of your fellow road-users.

Roundabouts are optional or for when you want to take the scenic route. I met a determined chap head on on our big (and in fairness to the other driver) fairly pointless roundabout recently.

I find that the worst drivers are men of a certain age in old dark green cars!

brendan wrote:Roundabouts are optional or for when you want to take the scenic route. I met a determined chap head on on our big (and in fairness to the other driver) fairly pointless roundabout recently.

I find that the worst drivers are men of a certain age in old dark green cars!

Hey, my old car is dark green!

brendan wrote:I find that the worst drivers are men of a certain age in old dark green cars!

Women Spanish drivers are the worst. And that from Mrs M

This morning I observed a woman trying to extricate herself from a parking space in Mercadona carpark whilst simultaneously shouting furiously into her mobile (held in her left hand) and gesticulating madly with her right hand. Her two children in the rear in their car seats were oblivious to the obvious danger they were being put in as she reversed at speed

Not sure I can specify a particular age, gender or country where bad driving predominates. However, lorry drivers around here think tailgating is good sport 😕
As for Mums with kids , I knew someone who would drive whilst constantly turning round to look at the baby in the back seat , her gaze would seem to last for what seemed like an eternity. As passenger I'd watch the road for her of course. Scary or what!
Finally, what about overtaking on blind bends, now everyone here seems to know there won't be anything coming the other way !!
Nine times out of ten they're right so they don't get to learn about the error of their ways

Hey guys,

Just saw your old discussion here on tourist tax in Spain.
The tourist tax increase is the first increase that has been implemented since the tourist tax was introduced in Catalonia in November 2012 and is now in line with other tourist tax rates in Spain, in the Balearic Islands.

You can calculate the tax payable with this handy tourist tax calculator which is up to date on all tourist tax rates in Spain.

https://www.spain-holiday.com/rentalbuz ... -explained