By Catherine McGeer • Published: 22 Apr 2024 • 14:14
Image: Shutterstock/ VAlekStudio
SPAINS’s recent announcement to scrap its ‘golden visa’ scheme has stirred a variety of opinions, especially among expats, real estate experts, and local business owners. We took to the streets of the Costa Calida to talk to the Euro Weekly News readers directly.
Isabel Navarro from Los Alcazares said ‘These investments make the property market more difficult and raise prices. Trying to find housing as an average Spanish person is difficult. Hopefully, if they complete this it will improve this for us.’
Mary from Bristol stated ‘This visa was only a sweetener for Brits after Brexit, but it has never driven us to buy houses. I don’t think anything will change because of this.’
Ann Nelson on holiday in the region said ‘I’ve always dreamed of retiring in Spain, and the ‘golden visa’ scheme seemed like a good way to get a visa after Brexit. Now, I’m not sure what this means for my plans.’
Carlos a restaurant owner in San Pedro del Pinatar said ‘While I understand the government’s intention to prioritise affordable housing, I worry about the potential economic impact of losing foreign investment.’
Angela from Lo Pagan said ‘Normal Spanish people can’t afford those properties anyway, this will just stop investment in the area, not just in the properties but the money they spend in the area also.’
John a long-time resident in Santiago de la Ribera said ‘Scrapping the scheme is supposed to help low-income locals to buy houses, but it makes no sense because the high threshold for the scheme excludes those on low incomes anyway, local or not. Proposing to scrap the scheme is just pure political optics.’
Richard said ‘Just something else we can thank Brexit for!’
This feedback offers some insight into the opinions of the people that may be directly impacted by Spain’s decision to end the ‘golden visa’ programme. They reflect a range of opinions, from concerns about housing affordability to uncertainties about future plans and economic implications. What do you think about this decision?
For more Costa Calida news click here
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
I am an Irish writer who has been living in Spain for the past twenty years. My writing centers around the Costa Cálida. As a mother I also write about family life on the coast of Spain and every now and then I try to break down the world of Spanish politics!
The truth is it has no meaning whatsoever, it will affect no one, especialy the rich who could afford the money in the first place. It will not help provide homes for the Spanish people like some claim. That is up to the Spanish government who always seems to be looking for someone to blame for the lack of social housing. Almost everyday in the EWN we read articles about the biggect number of flights in history, the largest number of tourist in the history of the world etc etc etc. So dear Spanish government where does all this money go???????. Oh yes, into the the rich and famous Spanards pockets who then try avoiding tax. Going by the general poor quality of house building in Spain (unless super rich) it should be cheap to build homes for the Spanish people, 3/4 of the Spanish mainland is EMPTY so no shortage of land. Sadly the Spanish people have been treated very badly by those who govern the country for ever. So now the ´´golden visas´´ are gone will see any benifit to the Spainsh people, NO CHANCE, IT WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE TO ANYONE. Just another joke against the Spanish people and a poor one at that.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment for robots Please empty this comment field to prove you're human.
Website
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.