Torremolinos Council has upgraded the status of around 200 streets in the municipality from third to second grade, a move which basically means an increase in taxes for public services, such as street cleaning etc, and bars will have to pay around 25% more for their terraces.
The third grade streets now only number 15 after this move, with the bulk, 530, falling under the category of ‘second grade’. Main shopping streets and various squares in the centre, 45 in total, are classified as ‘grade one’ and remain unaffected by the new measure.
According to the Council, the move is to basically create a single category and align the streets according to the services they receive, such as cleaning, rubbish collection etc. The system as it was, says the Council, is a legacy from the former socialist government.
According to the opposition parties it is a back-door tax, and instead of amending the various individual ordinances based on usage of public services, they have just redrawn the street map.