Las Palmas City Council will not appeal the ruling from the TSJC that annulled the waste tax. Residents who have already paid the 149.33 euros can recover their money through a request for reinstatement or by waiting for the...
Las Palmas City Council announced on Thursday that it will not appeal the ruling from the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC) that annulled the waste tax ordinance. The decision, communicated by Mayor Carolina Darias, means the tax will be abolished and money will be refunded to those who have already paid it.
Who Can Claim a Refund?
The TSJC ruling, known on July 10, declared the ordinance null due to lack of justification in the calculation of the fee and defects in the public exposure process. In light of this ruling, the City Council has chosen not to file an appeal, rendering the tax void. Thus, receipts that have not yet been paid are no longer enforceable and citizens do not need to take any action regarding them.
Those who have already paid the tax, which amounts to 149.33 euros for an occupied dwelling, have two options to recover their money. If they paid within the last month from when they received the notification, they must submit a request for reinstatement to the City Council. For this, the Council will provide a self-filling form in the virtual Tax Office, on the municipal website, in district councils, and at the citizen service office, as well as being available by phone.
“We will make the process as easy as possible so that residents face no difficulties,” assured Mayor Carolina Darias at the press conference on Thursday.
Deadlines and Procedures to Recover Money
For those who paid and it has been more than a month since the notification, the situation is different. In that case, they will have to wait for the City Council to initiate an ex officio review process to refund the amount. The Council has not yet specified the timelines for this process, although Darias indicated that they will work as quickly as possible.
Taxpayers who received the notification and requested payment instalments will not need to do anything: the City Council will automatically cancel the outstanding receipts. This measure affects thousands of households in the capital of Gran Canaria, who received the bills between May and June of this year.
The City Council has set up a helpline and a specific section on its website to address queries. Affected individuals are advised to check if they have the payment receipt and the original notification, as these will be necessary for the request for reinstatement.
Context of a Controversial Tax
The waste tax in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was approved in 2024 and began to be notified this year. From the outset, it generated criticism for its amount, considered one of the highest in Spain, surpassed only by some major cities. The TSJC upheld the appeal submitted by a residents' association, which denounced lack of transparency in the calculation and processing.
The annulment of the ordinance is a relief for residents' finances, but also an administrative headache for the Council, which will have to manage the refunds. In the meantime, the city returns to the previous regulations, which did not include this tax, so the waste collection service will continue to be provided at the expense of municipal budgets.
For more information, interested parties can consult the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council website or call the citizen service phone number. It is expected that the request forms will be available in the coming days.
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