I seldom criticise Spain but this article in El Pais is truly staggering and appalling:

El Pais - Easier in Zambia!

Mind you I did have an SL company a few years ago and although I used local professionals to set it up it didn't take long.

It is appalling, but despite over 100 "reads", did you expect anyone to comment on the thread? Had you been slagging off UK, you have had loads nodding in agreement. The ease of doing business might go some way to explaining why the unemployment rates in Zambia are ~14% and 25% in Spain. Queue the posters I ignore.

I'm not sure if I'm on your ignore list Agoreira, but I totally agree it is outrageous and I hope Rajoy and Guindos read El Pais (though I suspect they don't ... ) and do something about it!

It's no secret that Spain rates pretty low in terms of business friendliness.

It's not just simplicity of setting up an SL. It's operational costs, regulatory compliance, bureaucracy, taxes, etc. It all adds up.

If they could somehow make it simpler, cheaper, and less burdensome to establish and operate a business here, I'd have to believe we'd eventually have amongst the lowest unemployment in the EU, and a lot more competition for human resources.

But that's probably asking too much. After all, Spain needs to collect as much money as possible from any source and cut spending dramatically. So, it stands to reason that the current strategy would be to increase regulation and collect as much as possible from business, rather than ease those burdens.

No, not yet! Strangely no women figure on my list!
I was reading elsewhere of a couple asking for advice about moving to Spain, both wanting to set up as autonomo, and they were taken aback when someone told them it will cost them nearly €600 a month between them. They are probably another two that won't be setting up their businesses as planned.

I agree that the hoops you have to jump through to get your paperwork right are a bit galling. But paying your social security as an Autonomo is expensive.... but not difficult. If you want to move here and work you just have to bite the bullet. (while complaining a little that the whole system penalises the honest!).
It does seem that more should be done to help very small businesses and the self employed. And postage rates out of the country should be looked at because we 'new Spaniards' need to make a living and Spain can use some export revenue!
Where things do get complicated is when you need business premises or have to have hygiene etc certificates for food production. And don't get me started on employing other people!

You have to make it complicated. There are an unbelievable number of people who have been given posts by the four different governments (local, provincial, regional and national) - known as funcionarios - who need to have something to do. Paperwork. The idea of the 'ventanilla única' where everything was solved in one fell swoop, was never going to happen here.