Fredbargate

OLAF probes Govt complaint over Spanish inspector see post1722

The European Anti-Fraud Office [OLAF] yesterday confirmed that it was ‘considering’ a complaint from the Gibraltar Government relating to comments made by one of its Spanish officials.

Last week the Government of Gibraltar filed a complaint with the Director General of OLAF after Joaquin Gonzalez-Herrero, who is an OLAF adviser in one of its investigative directorates, gave a lengthy interview to Spanish news agency EFE.

Gibraltar Chronicle - The Independent Daily First Published 1801

Fredbargate

Spain claims one billion euros loss to Rock tax regime

The Spanish Government yesterday stepped up its campaign of unsubstantiated accusations against the Rock by claiming that Spain was losing out on one billion euros in taxes every year because of Gibraltar’s fiscal regime.

The spectacular claim was made by Iñigo Méndez de Vigo, Secretary of State for the EU at the Spanish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in a lengthy interview on Gibraltar published by the right wing newspaper ABC.

It came after a week of aggressive, one-sided reporting on Gibraltar across much of the Spanish media.

In the interview, Sr Méndez de Vigo said Spain had urged the European Commission to probe Gibraltar’s tax regime over concerns that aspects of the fiscal framework here could constitute illegal state aid.

In making the claim, he failed to recognise that the Commission had already looked at Gibraltar’s tax regime and cleared it as compliant with state aid regulations.

“The Ministry for Public Finances calculates that the current tax regime in Gibraltar generates losses to the Spanish treasury of close to one billion euros annually, in the form of lower returns on different types of taxation,” he told the newspaper.

Full report
Gibraltar Chronicle - The Independent Daily First Published 1801

Lets see :- complaints about the reef failed so they then complained about tobacco, does that now mean they are not so sure about the tobacco so they are reigniting the tax moans

Fredbargate

The figures don't add up.
Spain should take some maths lessons

In2013
Spain seized .....................10,300,000 packets of contraband cigarettes.
In the Campo de Gibraltar .....2,205,253 packets
At the Gibraltar frontier ...........971,463 packets 9% of seizures
.
http://www.gbc.gi/upload/pdf/Cigaret...ain%202013.pdf

http://www.gbc.gi/upload/pdf/Agencia%20Tributaria.pdf

Fredbargate

Number Six rubbishes Mendez de Vigo 'billion Euro' claim

Date: 19 August 2014

The Gibraltar government has rubbished statements attributed to Spain’s Minister for Europe that the country is losing out on one billion euros in taxes every year because of Gibraltar’s fiscal regime.

Iñigo Mendez de Vigo made the claims in an interview with Spanish newspaper ABC. But Number Six has countered these, saying they have no basis in reality.

SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTRY CLAIMS

Iñigo Mendez de Vigo says the European Commission is investigating Gibraltar’s tax regime, looking into whether aspects of it constitute state aid that’s illegal in the EU.

Mr Mendez de Vigo says the wellbeing Gibraltar enjoys is based on its special status, and shouldn’t be allowed to continue given that it’s damaging EU member states, including Spain, which he claims loses one billion Euros every year because of the Rock.

STATE-AID INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY, BUT SPAIN ONLY COUNTRY NOT ACCEPTING GIBRALTAR'S TAX LAWS

Rebutting these statements, Number Six says Mr Mendez de Vigo’s comments are designed to fan the flames of the Gibraltar story. It says his estimation of the alleged cost to the Spanish exchequer can be no more than a wild, exagerated estimate.

The Gibraltar government points out that not many Spaniards are using Gibraltar’s financial service: of the almost 16,000 active companies locally, it says Spanish nationals hold shares in only 66.

Number Six acknowledges that a state-aid investigation is still under way, but says Gibraltar's Income Tax Act has been approved by the Code Group of the EU with only Spain not approving it.

The Gibraltar Government also argues that the Gibraltar exchequer loses out on revenue as a result of Spanish companies operating locally without paying PAYE, social insurance or tax. Something not mentioned by Mr Mendez de Vigo.

PICARDO CALLS FOR LESS GIBRALTAR BASHING & MORE COOPERATION

Fabian Picardo says the Spanish government should be valuing Gibraltar’s contribution to its economy. Apart from the jobs locally and the saving on unemployment benefits, says the Chief Minister, there are also salaries that flow from Gibraltar to Spain, social insurance set-offs, and the spending of Gibraltar residents in Spain.

Mr Picardo says these synergies could grow for mutual benefit if the Partido Popular moved on from its medieval hang-ups on Gibraltar and started to work with us. Spain’s Europe Minister would do better, according to the Chief Minister, if he concentrated on co-operation, instead of just bashing the Rock in August, which he says is fast becoming one of the hallmarks of this PP Administration. He concludes that this does nothing for the thousands of unemployed people in the region who deserve better from their elected politicians.

GBC | Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation

Fredbargate

Information from the Gibraltar Borders Agency on the number of visitors expected today

Gib Borders Agency @gibraltarborder · 17m

Another busy day for our officers as we process over 4000 passengers at the port, about 2000 at the airport & over 38,000 at the frontier.

Fredbargate

Spain must be doing something wrong, says Spanish paper

This war of nerves against the Gibraltarians is not going in favour of Spain. We have clearly failed in defending our environmental interests in the region and we have lost the battle against Gibraltar being a fiscal paradise, says Diario de Mallorca.

It recalls that in July the European Commission made it known that it does not think that Gibraltar has violated Community legislation on the environment which is what Spain had been denouncing; on the bunkering to ships; on the reclamation; in lowering blocks into the sea to create a maritime reef. No infraction of Community's environmental legislation has been identified, as the EU said.

The other day, another paper 'Cinco Dias' said that Spain was in splendid isolation in denouncing that Gibraltar is a fiscal paradise. Neither the OECD nor the EU back the Spanish complaints.

Gibraltar, on the other hand, has been signing exchange of information agreements with a number of countries, and exiting the 'black list' of tax havens.

Gibraltar is four times more prosperous than the Cadiz province. We must be doing something badly, very badly, says the paper.

20-08-14 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR

Fredbargate

Somebody must have said something to upset the Spanish,
Perhaps someone has told the truth


Lengthy frontier queue stretches back to Both Worlds

Date: 20 August 2014 at 08:46 pm

Queues at the Frontier have peaked at three hours this afternoon, with tailbacks stretching back through the holding area at the reclaimed land near Catalan Bay. A Royal Gibraltar Police spokesman confirmed to GBC that cars were queuing up all the way to Both Worlds.

Guardia Civil officers were searching cars and examining documentation. From two to six this afternoon, between two and three cars were crossing per minute. Just before 8.30pm, it was still taking cars up to two and a half hours to cross.

GBC | Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation

I still feel sorry for all those Spaniards trying to return home to the country that cannot provide them with employment.

Fredbargate

Definitely got their knickers in a twist.

There's been a 3+ hour queue to leave Gibraltar since 7:30 this morning.

Perhaps this is in retaliation for their own journalists telling them they are doing things wrong.

But never mind I had no intentions of going to Spain to spend money there

scrubbedexpat095

Hi Fred I hope you don't mind me asking ... But do you work for the Gib Government in some form or other ?

la mancha

I really enjoy your posts, Fred. First thing I read on BE.

EMR

Quelle suprise ??

At least the Gib Propoganda department has one convert.

Fredbargate

No and I never have, although some Government departments have sub-contracted work to me

But they do pay part of my pension.

la mancha

I see your obsession with answering every post, even those not even remotely directed at you, is getting worse.

la mancha

And the quick reply button isn't working, but just to correct, my last post was in answer to EMR.,

scrubbedexpat095

why? do you live in Gib or La Linea