nerja-beach-2AXARQUIA towns fear they may lose 5,000 foreign residents from their books this year, with disastrous consequences to council resources.

A revision of the municipal registers set for March 31 will mean that expats who have not renewed their town hall registration – padron – in the last two years will be left out.

This could cause significant losses to public funds and resources, including a reduction in the number of councillors.

Nerja Town Hall has already launched a campaign which states 1,600 people will be removed from the padron if they don’t renew their residency status within three months.

The Axarquia’s tourist hotspot is concerned its official population figure could dip below 20,000 again.

Elsewhere, Torrox has seen its number of expat residents supposedly drop by 1,000 over the last three years.

Even in Competa, which has enjoyed almost equal numbers of expat and Spanish residents during the past decade, the town hall is appealing for 700 foreigners to make themselves known officially.

Expats also make up about a third of the population of Frigiliana, around 1,300 people, so the town hall there is also persuading foreigners to renew their residency.

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5 COMMENTS

  1. 100% predictable and living proof that high taxation is counter-productive. Ill-thought out tax laws with draconian penalties together with the so called illegal building situation in the Axarquia are the two main reasons for people leaving – I know, I have spoken to them.

    When is Spain going to learn and become business friendly? Don’t they want to attract inward investment and create jobs? They had a good thing going with thousands of wealthy northern Europeans moving to Spain, buying property, paying taxes and boosting the local economy and employment market but they decided to kill it, does anyone know why?

    Most of Spain’s problems are self inflicted and the product of bad economic policy. I was hoping the business friendly Ciudadanos (C’s) would have some positive influence after the general election but they fell short and instead there is political uncertainty which will drive even more people away and discourage new investors, particularly if the next government proves to be anti-business.

    Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of the most expensive demolition in history – Helen and Len Prior’s house in Almeria and yes, they are still living in their garage with no water or electricity and a campervan for a bathroom.

    Spain, you are still paying for this miscarriage of justice 8 years later and you will continue to pay for it for a very long time.

  2. The whole process of this town hall registration is antiquated and actually quite ridiculous. If you are residing in Spain you are paying (some) taxes and other bills, and you also have a bank account, and that is enough to know if you are still here. End of story. Spain needs to update its systems to use existing resources to determine residency. In the 21st Century this is possible.

  3. Forgot to add, the only time your town hall ever wants to know about you is: (a) when there’s a local election, and (b) when the empadronamiento needs updating. The rest of the time they totally ignore you and act as if you didn’t even exist. Spain in a nutshell.

  4. Fred, sensible comments grounded in reality.

    Jane, your neo-liberal comment about high taxation was dead in the water long ago, in countries like Norway, Sweden and Finland. All countries where quality of life is part of their culture. The Netherlands is a country where by law, working people have to pay into a supplementary private pension along with their employers, so that they retire on 80% of their final salary. It’s also a country where financial sharks don’t get their hands on the lions share of investment unlike the UK, so, a Dutchman ends up with 3 x times a pension than a British mug who pays in the same amount.

    I’d like to see my Spanish friends create a society based on principles and integrity and fully release their creative potential, which is enormous, this cannot happen with corruption and degenerate neo-liberal schemes.

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