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BALEARIC tourism chief Joan Flaquer admitted yesterday that the 30'000 euros of tourist tax money which the Popular Party claimed the previous coalition government had overspent before it was collected has, in fact, been found during an examination of the accounts. He was speaking shortly before leaving for Germany and Britain, and after talks with finance minister Lluis Ramis d'Ayreflor.
Flaquer and Ramis had met to make a first analysis of the tourist tax projects and while the tourist chief said it was too early to decide which projects were to be maintained and which would be reconsidered, he did say that it was not possible to carry out all the projects with the current funds being raised through the tax.
He added that the missing 30'000 euros had been found classified as management costs of the tax. Flaquer said that he thought the amount excessive for managing the tax, but said that in effect, the money was not “missing:” Both Flaquer and Ramis said that the amount spent on advertising the tax was excessive.
The previous tourism minister, Celestí Alomar, had already denied the charges of missing funds, saying that he had actually left a surplus of tourist tax money which had not been assigned to any project. Yesterday, on hearing Flaquer's comments, he said “what the government should do now is investigate what has to be investigated and stop spreading doubts.” He also said advertising accounted for less than five per cent of the budget.