Tag: budget

Latest Gran Canaria News, Views & Sunshine

Foundation Investigated for Alleged Mismanagement of Public Funds Meant for Care of Unaccompanied Migrant Minors

The 7th Investigative Court of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has opened a preliminary investigation into the Social Response Foundation Siglo XXI and four of its directors. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office in Las Palmas filed a complaint against them, alleging crimes that could include forgery of commercial documents, mismanagement, and embezzlement of public funds. The investigation aims to determine whether this nonprofit organisation, and its officials, could have misused public funds intended for the care of unaccompanied migrant minors, during the migration crisis of 2020 that was precipitated by the pandemic confinement on the islands, leading to a build up of arrivals having to be assessed and cared for by the Canary Islands Regional Government, using hotels left empty due to the lack of tourism. The estimated amount involved in the alleged misuse stands at around €12.5 million between 2020 and 2022 on Gran Canaria alone.

 

Canary Islands Expect Rain and Potential Storm Weather Next Week

The Canary Islands are preparing for a change in the weather next week, as a significant increase in cloud is expected bringing higher probability of rain. The effects of a powerful storm forming in the Atlantic Ocean are likely to extend to the Canary Islands as well as neighbouring Madeira and The Azores.

 

The Canary Guide #WeekendTips 2-4 June 2023

June is here and that means that summer is just around the corner. The Patron Saints’ festivities in honour of San Juan de Bautista and San Antonio de Padua are just getting started on Gran Canaria, and in Pueblo de Mogán the main Romería pilgrimage for San Antonio El Chico is this first Saturday of June, as well as the start of the build up to those in Arucas, Santa Brígida and Moya. This weekend also brings the biggest outlet fair shopping experience back to INFECAR and a collectables fair in Gáldar.
OPERATION KILO is this weekend, at all participating supermarkets, asking you to add a few non-perishable food items to the Food Bank collection boxes to help families in need.

Vox Enters Canarian Politics, Stage Right: Anti-Migrant, Anti-Feminist, Anti-Green, Anti-Autonomy, Anti-LGBT, Anti-Multiculturalism, Pro-Franco politics find a foothold on The Canary Islands

The Canary Islands were unable to avoid the rise of the far right on Sunday, unlike in 2019, writes Natalia G. Vargas in Canarias Ahora. Vox, which previously had no representation on the islands, managed to make its presence felt in several municipalities and councils this May 28. They also secured seats in the Canary Islands’ regional parliament, securing four deputies. “Defending what is ours, our own, and fighting against insecurity” were the slogans that underpinned Vox’s campaign in The Canary Islands, along with “family, employment, and freedom.” This rhetoric, coupled with an electoral program that was repeated across all local elections in Spain, proved sufficient. Dozens of cities and towns on the islands welcomed their first far right candidates of the modern democratic era into Canarian politics, with urban areas serving as their main strongholds.

La Alcaldesa Bueno Secures Incredible Majority in Mogán

Mogán, May 29, 2023 – The often controversial incumbent, O Bueno, La Alcaldesa, has achieved an unprecedented and resounding victory once more in Mogán. The candidate who switched her party’s name, for these elections, to “Juntos por Mogán”, a local ally of the regionalist conservatives “Coalición Canaria” (CC), will once again assume the role of mayor. Her party has clinched a rather noteworthy 17 out of the 21 seats in the Municipal Council of this popular tourism destination located on the sunny southwest of Gran Canaria.

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Historic families & women-friendly budget with changes for the Canaries in 2018

the Minister of Finance of the Canary Islands Government, Rosa Dávila and the President of the Canary Islands Government Fernando Clavijo,
The Government of the Canary Islands has approved the budget for the Autonomous Region for 2018, which has grown by 12.9% to €8.23 billion and will this year be the highest in the history of the archipelago.
In short :
• The accounts for 2018 amount to €8.239 billion , €938 million more than in 2017, an increase of 12.9%
• The extra financing of essential public services is to increase productive investment and employment, and provide tax reductions, which are the main priorities of budgets
• €5.8 billion have been allocated to essential public services, €439.7 million more than in 2017
• Healthcare increases of €231.7 million, education by €100.4 m and social policies by €99.5 million
• Investment grows by €318.2 million, +45%
• Debt has been reduced by €258 million
• The accounts include tax rebates of €124 million with €4.5 million destined to reinforce the fight against tax fraud

 
The Canary Islands become first community in Spain to eliminate taxes on women´s sanitary products
In regard to measures on income tax that will have an effect on the income statement of 2017 and actions on Indirect General Tax of the Canary Islands (IGIC) one highlight is the elimination of the pink rate – tampons, sanitary towels and compresses–, where the IGIC rate has changed to zero for the “extra cost that it has for women”, being the first community in Spain to eliminate the pink rate.
The tax reduction in the Canary Islands includes 18 measures, among which are deductions in daycare expenses of €400, which will benefit some 21,750 children in the archipelago;  deductions of €100 in the costs of school books, school materials, transportation and uniforms (benefiting 348,870 students); and the €250 discount for fostering minors – which equates foster children with adopted and biological children – (2,500 families).
A deduction of €500 for families that include people with disabilities or care dependents (41,700 families), as well as a 10% reduction on expenses for illness (dentist, oculist, pregnancy and childbirth, etc.)  for which it is necessary that the payment can be justified – ie has been paid by bank transfer or card–.
In addition, €100 will be deducted per single-parent family (helping 6,600 families); a 10% reduction for housing adaptation works for families with dependent or disabled people (41,700 families); a deduction of 10% for up to €7,000 of expenditure on works that contribute to the energy efficiency of main homes;  an improvement of 50% to the state deduction on donations to NGOs for social and ecological purposes, as well as a deduction of 15% on donations for cultural and research purposes (88,000 people).
Individuals who bill less than 30,000 will not pay IGIC (64,000 beneficiaries); also referred to is the proposed reduction of the IGIC rate from 7% to 3% for young people, under 35, who buy their first home (2,200 young people); reductions in telephone bills, both fixed and mobile, from 7 to 3 percent; and a reduction of the IGIC rate that is applied to works in renovation and improvement of a habitual (main) residence, also falling from 7% to 3% (6300 homes).

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