The Popular Party of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has urged Mayor Carolina Darias to apologise to residents and municipal employees following the annulment of the waste tax by the TSJC. The party describes the decision not to appeal the ruling as "common sense".
The PP spokesperson in the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council, Jimena Delgado, demanded on Friday that Mayor Carolina Darias apologise to citizens and municipal workers for the controversial waste tax, annulled last week by the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC). Delgado believes the local government must take political responsibility following the ruling that rendered the ordinance ineffective.
The City Council, governed by the PSOE, announced on Thursday that it would not appeal the judicial decision, a measure that the PP applauds but considers insufficient. "It was a decision of common sense," stated Delgado, who recalled that her party opposed the tax from its processing and went to court to challenge it.
The Justice system strikes down a tax pushed by Darias
The TSJC annulled the fiscal ordinance following a challenge presented by the Canarian Foundation Schools of Antunez, although the PP had also submitted objections. The tax, mandated by Law 07/2022 on waste, imposed charges on homes and businesses in the capital of Gran Canaria. According to Delgado, "if the PP and the other challenging entities had not gone to court, today residents would still be obliged to pay an unjust tax."
The ruling has caused a political earthquake in the City Council. The PP argues that the mayor should have detected the legal flaws before approving the regulation. "Residents have suffered unnecessary uncertainty and officials have had to handle a flood of inquiries and complaints," criticized Delgado.
Refund of five million euros to residents
One of the key points of the controversy is the refund of the collected money. The City Council received five million euros through 35,002 receipts, as confirmed by Darias herself. The PP demands that the City Council expedite the reimbursement to those affected, who have already begun to ask how to recover their money.
Delgado called on the municipal government to "draw conclusions" and improve communication with the opposition, technicians, and affected groups before approving new measures. "A tax cannot be imposed without consensus and without rigorous legal analysis," she added.
A precedent for other municipal ordinances
The annulment of the waste tax opens a scenario of uncertainty for other Canary Island municipalities that have also approved similar levies to comply with state regulations. The PP in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria warns that "improvisation is not an option" and calls for the new regulatory framework to be scrupulously aligned with the law.
Meanwhile, residents of the capital are awaiting news on when and how the amounts paid will be refunded. The City Council will now have to rewrite the ordinance from scratch, a process that could take months and will require, according to the PP, "dialogue and transparency."
The PP spokesperson concluded that "citizens deserve a sincere apology from the mayor and a firm commitment that similar mistakes will not be repeated." The City Council, for its part, has yet to set a timeline for the refund or for drafting the new tax.
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