Orihuela’s market traders say that they have been asking the Department of Markets, for months, to suspend the collection of the fees for their stalls. Last Thursday the matter was discussed in the municipal plenary session, held by videoconference, where they put their demand to the councillor of markets, Víctor Bernabéu.
They say that terrace taxes for bars, restaurants and cafes have been suspended for all of 2021, while their payments are still maintained, which they consider as “discriminatory treatment”.
The sector, like many others, has been suffering for almost a year following the introduction of the state of alarm, with their incomes much reduced.
They describe their situation as “precarious,” caused, by the drop in consumption derived from the reductions in market capacity, the absence of tourism and the closure of borders. “This situation makes it very difficult for us to continue paying the municipal pitch fees, since we are only generating a very small part of our usual income.”
It is understood that Orihuela council collects between 550,000 and 560,000 euros a year from market traders.
