In bid to help most vulnerable, Consell to divert €200K of surplus to social welfare initiatives

The Formentera Tax Office reports that the local government will commit 20% of its 2019 surplus to help those made most vulnerable by the crisis in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are currently liquidating our 2019 budget and hope to be left with a million euros when we’re through”, explained tax office conseller Bartomeu Escandell. “Article 20 of the state of alarm decree gives local authorities the power to unlock 20% of their surplus. This means the Consell will be in the position to allocate roughly €200,000 to benefitting people and protecting our most at-risk groups”.

As Escandell pointed out, the Consell has already announced an extension on the payment deadlines of all municipal fees and taxes. The first of its kind, the urgent economic measure is meant to relieve the symptoms of the crisis among islanders and business owners.

The tax office chief asserted that “as long as the state of alarm remains in effect, not a single bill or collection notice will be issued by any of our temporarily closed-to-the-public services. That means the adult care facility, fitness centre, nurseries and music school, among others. We’ll also be reimbursing islanders who paid for 12 months of service and those who made advance payments”.

Escandell characterised the present situation as “volatile and ever changing”, adding that “having rolled out this first package of economic measures, our government must now progressively adopt more targeted actions so that relief makes its way to the sectors and people that need it, based on newly developing needs and the turns that things take”.

The final objective, he said, is to “soften the economic blow of this public health crisis on regular islanders, not to mention on the local tourism industry and business community”. “To do this successfully”, Escandell concluded, “and for the Consell’s response to be effective and appropriately tailored to Formentera’s unique case, we’ll need to keep our finger on the collective pulse and heed the words of local economic and social stakeholders”.


3 April 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera