Costa Almeria council Vera looking into extraordinary financial assistance for local businesses to ease impact of coronavirus economic battering

VERA council is looking into applying extraordinary financial assistance for local businesses to help them deal with the impact of the coronavirus crisis and the state of alarm restrictions.
Mayor Jose Carmelo Jorge Blanco reported he is working with the Finance councillor Alfonso Perez and municipal staff on the “possibility of applying fiscal and support measures for the municipality’s economic activity” following an urgent meeting at the Town Hall.
“The economic and financial situation which small and medium-sized businesses and the self-employed of our municipality, many of them belonging to the service sectors, is going to be complicated as they are on the front line taking the economic battering of the coronavirus, with reductions of workers’ working days, and in some cases, with the suspension of work contracts through ERTES.”
ERTE is a temporary authorisation which enables a company to suspend one or more employment contracts for a determined period of time.
“At this time all the council’s resources are directed at the containment of Covid-19, with the disinfection and cleaning of public places, the control of the movements and the restrictions on the use of beaches and other public spaces, like children’s play areas, assistance to the elderly and the disabled, and in short, in complying with the regulations applicable under the state of alarm dictated by the government of the nation”, explained the Finance councillor.
“But”, he added, “we cannot forget that once this situation has been overcome, we have, between all of us, and with the council at the head, got to boost our municipality’s economy.”
The local authority’s Economic Services department has therefore requested that the municipal areas speed up the processing of invoices pending payment so they can be paid immediately and in this way alleviate, as far as possible, the monetary strain small and medium-sized businesses and the self-employed are experiencing.
The council also said it wanted to make businesses aware of the possibility of postponing and breaking down into installments the payment of taxes.
The local authority revealed it is carrying out a thorough analysis of the taxes to adapt to the economic situation and reductions or suspension.
The administration also pointed out that it does not have the authority in regard to some taxes, like the IAE business tax on and the IBI property tax, and it remains to be seen what the national government decides on the matter.
In addition, the council said it is studying opening up a line of subsidies in relation to keeping jobs in order to help Vera’s businesses and self-employed.
“Once this emergency situation has passed a meeting with the business associations and trade unions will be called to coordinate the relevant actions to reactive the economic situation of the municipality”, the Mayor commented.