The Commons and the Government agree to eliminate the tax on the purchase of housing for non-profit cooperatives.

BarcelonaTaxes are rising for large landowners and falling for cooperatives in the agricultural and housing sectors. This is the agreement on the table between the Government and the Commons in the final stretch of negotiations on the decree law that will increase the tourist tax and the property transfer tax for large landowners. The extensive measures were announced three weeks ago., and throughout the last session, the final details have been finalized. According to ARA, the Catalan government and the Comuneros (Commons) have agreed to a 100% reduction in the property transfer tax for non-profit housing cooperatives. That is, if they acquire a plot of land or a building, they will not have to pay this tax, which, according to the latest agreed modifications, is between 10% and 13% of the property's value. Sources within Jéssica Albiach's group confirm that the agreement is already finalized, a fact not confirmed by the Ministry of Economy.

There will also be another tax benefit for cooperative members in the agricultural and housing sectors (excluding those dedicated to short-stay housing or tourist apartments): they will be able to deduct 20% of the capital contributions they have made to cooperatives from their personal income tax (IRPF), up to a maximum of 3,000 euros per year. During the negotiations, Comuns proposed that this tax benefit be applied to all cooperative members, but, according to the sources consulted, the Government argued that the decree-law, designed only to act in cases of urgency and necessity, despite having become a common legislative resource, did not allow for the introduction of a non-surgical deduction. Both these benefits and the rest of the measures in the decree law, designed to penalize housing speculation, will have to go through Parliament. The Catalan executive has not yet specified when it will take it to the executive council, while also waiting to secure the support of ERC.

The announcement of this tax decree law with the Comuns (Commons) provoked the first clash between the Government and the employersl, who criticized the Ministry of Economy for not consulting with real estate developers. "These are modifications that are focused on prioritizing the use of housing for living and also increasing taxes on those who have the most and can contribute the most to the common fund," announced the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero. From Comuns, its leader in Parliament, Jéssica Albiach, asserted that the pact placed taxation at the service of the right to housing: "First, so that speculation becomes expensive. Second, to protect residents from real estate piracy that is playing with our homes as if they were stocks." The final package will therefore include both sticks (for large landowners) and carrots (for housing cooperatives).

A demand from the sector

The idea of introducing tax benefits for housing cooperatives is a long-standing demand of that sector. The Federation of Catalan Cooperatives complained about paying the same as real estate developers when acquiring a building, despite the fact that the purchase was intended to facilitate access to housing and prevent speculation. Housing cooperatives under a lease agreement, for example, operate similarly to affordable rentals: the difference is that the price paid is just enough to cover expenses, and the tenant can remain there indefinitely. Between the communities already underway and those under construction, currently There are 1,200 cooperative homes on loan to Catalonia.It's a model that's still in its "incipient" state, according to industry sources consulted by ARA, but it's gaining traction internationally in territories such as Quebec, Uruguay, and the Nordic countries. In countries such as Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland, cooperative housing accounts for 10% of the total housing stock.