30/05/2013 00:00
TW
0

Palma.—Yesterday, the Ministers for Tax and Finance, Josep Vicent Mari and Joaquin Garcia, respectively, were tasked with trying to ‘build bridges' with the opposition parties and the business community and resolve the rifts caused by the introduction and a set of so-called “green” taxes.

These new taxes were aimed primarily at the car hire sector, large hypermarkets and the packaging industry on the grounds that the biggest polluters should pay more towards protecting the environment.

However, not only did the ‘green tax plans' cause widespread anger here in the Balearics and on the mainland, it was also heavily criticised in the UK by the Association of British Travel Agents which warned that, with price still being king, any extra and unexpected surcharges on car rental will only damage the Balearic tourist industry in the long run.

And the ‘packaging tax', applicable to everything packaged apart from milk, will push the price of basic items up hitting consumers more while hyper markets said that, under the current climate, any extra costs would have to be passed onto the clients.

So, the government is now hoping to be able to reach a satisfactory solution with the local business community and the opposition parties over a reduction in the taxes.

The packing and car hire sectors, however, want the taxes scrapped suggesting the government has a ‘battle' on its hands.