Estepona homeowners pocket big savings as council maintains major tax cuts

Residents in Estepona continue enjoying substantial tax relief, with individual homeowners saving hundreds of euros annually thanks to ongoing reductions spearheaded by the local council.

Average IBI bills have dropped from €723 in 2011 to €556 currently, delivering a cumulative saving of €167 per receipt since that baseline year. Over recent years, successive cuts, including a 50 per cent average reduction since 2012 and a 50 per cent adjustment to cadastral values in 2016, have compounded these benefits for the registered.

This year, the Ayuntamiento will allocate over €7 million to sustain these measures without impacting investments or services, which have actually strengthened. Homeowners benefit automatically from the main bonus on the Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles (IBI – property tax), avoiding any need for applications.

Over €7 million in annual tax relief for Estepona residents

Council figures detail some €6,624,000 earmarked specifically for IBI bonuses (bonifications) for registered residents, plus €143,800 to exempt vulnerable groups, such as pensioners and long-term unemployed, from the rubbish tax fee, covering around 1,812 bills.

Additional perks include a 3 per cent discount on IBI, IAE (business activities tax), and rubbish fees for those who direct debit their payments and settle up within the voluntary period. A pioneering 3 per cent rebate rewards residents who recycle at the clean point facility with at least three annual visits to the pinto limpo (recycling plant).

No cuts to services despite generous fiscal support

Mayor José María García Urbamo has reiterated his unwavering commitment to families, especially vulnerable ones, while refusing to raise taxes. Sound financial management, including achieving zero debt last year, has enabled this approach together with high per-capita public investment to boost the local economy.

Other supportive policies feature eliminating opening fees for 35 companies, 75 per cent discounts on opening rates for vulnerable groups, IAE bonuses for industrial estates, halved public way occupation fees for compliant traders, capital gains reductions to encourage property sales, exemptions for mortgage foreclosure victims, and 75 per cent IVTM (vehicle tax) cuts for electric and hybrid cars to promote sustainability.

Estepona’s residents, around 79,600 according to recent data, thus enjoy lighter fiscal burdens that better household budgets without compromising municipal progress. Not bad if you live in Estepona.