No more free weddings in Velez-Malaga

UNTIL now, civil weddings in Velez-Malaga have been free, however, the governing Popular Party council has put an end to this.

The governing team has begun to elaborate a fiscal law for weddings and will charge, not only for the ceremony, but also for registering the marriage in the Municipal Register.

The idea is to charge €100 for each wedding held at municipal venues and €150 for those which require civil servants and councillors to travel. There will also be a fee of €50 for registering the marriage.

This new plan was announced by the first deputy mayor and Tax Councillor, Manuel Gutierrez, who said the decision came from the need to supplement the expense the council has in preparing documents, and the time and staff used for each civil wedding.

In 2010, 131 couples got married at Velez Malaga Town Hall and so far this year there have been more than 120.

“Charging for civil weddings is something that has worked for some time in other towns” said Gutierrez, “and we have seen that many couples who marry at Velez-Malaga town hall are not even locals and they are attracted by the fact that we don’t charge”.

The measure, which will be introduced in 2012, could mean that many couples decided to get married locally before the end of the year.