Yacht owners call for matriculation tax to be scrapped in Mallorca
The matriculation tax that is applied to vessels of 15 metres or more is limiting the number of yachts registering in Mallorca & the Balearic Islands, and depriving the local ecomony of millions of euros according to a lobby group of local and international yachting industry. The hugely unpopular tax costs yacht owners 12% of the value of their boat, and is due to the authorities if the yacht spends more than 182 days in Spanish waters.
The Balearics are seen as being uncompetitive for basing yachts in the Mediterranean, as countries such as France, Italy and Croatia charge only a minimal fee, or none at all. This means that many foreign yachts are registered elsewhere, meaning that ports in Majorca are losing out on summer spending by nautical tourists, and on winter maintenance contracts. It has been estimated that the Balearics could earn as much as six to nine million euros per week as a major nautcial centre for charter yachts should the tax be scrapped.
Politicians are beginning to show an interest in the issue as the full scale of the potential earnings become apparent. The Majorcan Unionist Party has published a paper on 'energising the nautical sector', and the Partido Popular is reviewing the matriculation tax. There has been a move to introduce a pan-Mediterranean tax through the EU in Brussels, but this will take time to complete. The tax is likely to become a hot issue in next year's local elections in Mallorca & the Balearics.
