Posted on 12/09/2024 12:22:36 PM PST by nickcarraway
In a move that’s left self-employed workers scratching their heads, the Spanish tax office, Hacienda, has dropped a bombshell: banks will have to report every single payment made to self-employed clients, even those under the previous €3,000 threshold.
The unexpected measure slipped quietly into a royal decree that also tweaks corporate tax rates for multinationals, which means the taxman will have eyes on transactions of any amount, whether through traditional methods or modern mobile systems like the popular Bizum.
The €3,000 rule is no more For years, banks only raised the alarm for transactions over €3,000. As José María Peláez, a spokesperson for the State Inspectors Association, previously explained, withdrawing amounts under this limit typically didn’t require identification. “When you take out €2,000 or €2,500, no one asks questions. But take out €3,000, and they start filling out forms,” Peláez said.
Now, that €3,000 cushion has been binned – but only for the self-employed.
“This is a surprise measure,” said La Linterna host Ángel Expósito, who, alongside economic journalist Pilar García de la Granja, broke the news. “Banks will need to report all payments to the self-employed on a monthly basis, regardless of the amount.”
‘It’s always the little guy’, say workers
The announcement has left self-employed workers fuming, with many branding it another blow to an already strained group. Eduardo Abad, head of the Professional Association of Self-Employed Workers (UPTA), didn’t hold back.
“We have no clue why this measure has been introduced,” Abad told Spanish media outlet Cope. “In meetings with the government, this was never even on the table – it’s come completely out of the blue.”
Abad accused the Spanish government of unfairly targeting self-employed workers. “It’s always the smallest fish in the economic pond that get caught. We’re the easiest to go after,” he said bitterly. “Why not apply the same rules to multinationals stashing their profits in tax havens? Maybe one day they’ll get the same scrutiny.”
A flood of data – and more chaos?
Abad also warned of the chaos this measure will unleash. With over 3.3 million self-employed workers in Spain conducting countless daily transactions, the sheer volume of data could overwhelm Hacienda’s systems.
“We’re talking millions of daily operations. How do they plan to process all of this? It’s unmanageable,” he argued.
The union leader also blasted what he called yet another heavy-handed approach by the Spanish tax office. “They act like we’re the country’s default fraudsters,” Abad fumed. “It’s time to stop treating self-employed workers in Spain as if we’re all trying to cheat the system.”
What’s next for freelancers? As the self-employed brace again for impact, the jury’s still out on how banks and workers will cope with this new layer of scrutiny. Whether it’s a necessary evil or just another spectacular bureaucratic blunder by the Spanish government, one thing’s for sure – Spain’s freelancers aren’t taking it lying down.
Is it short-sighted to continually go after the group of people who are starting businesses and hoping one day to boost the economy by growing their businesses and providing jobs? While other Western European countries try to take care of their self-employed and help them along their way as they grow, Spain seems to continually hammer them down. Are we missing a trick here, or is the government just that clueless?
Uh, no deposits to the banks?
Spanish Debt as % of GDP -- 139.02%
Source: Spain Debt Clock: Double Digit Debt To GDP Ratio Could Spell Disaster
Seems many nations, including this one, are maxing out their national credit cards to pay for social welfare to migrants and supporting war, as well as their other "duties." Oddly, they're running out of other people's money.



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