Elche mitigates the increase in the waste tax and offers discounts to retirees and vulnerable families

Elche City Council aims to mitigate the increase in the waste tax imposed by the European Union starting next year. The Brussels directive requires adjusting the solid waste bill to the cost of the service, so that municipalities do not incur losses as they have until now, which necessitates increasing the bills.

The waste tax is currently included in the water bill based on the category of the streets. From 2025, this bill will be independent and will be charged through SUMA on a semi-annual basis. The increase is set between 18 and 20.1 euros per year, while for economic activities the range is between 38-40 euros annually, as announced this Tuesday by the mayor of Elche, Pablo Ruz.

The mayor has made it clear that "the municipal government does not agree with this increase in the waste tax that we are forced to charge, because our philosophy is to lower taxes and reduce the fiscal pressure on the people of Elche." Ruz explained that "we do not want to apply this increase, we do not share the philosophy of the law nor the obligation it establishes, hence our intention not to apply the drastic increase that the Government of Spain intends, because it is abusive for the pockets of the people of Elche."

The increase comes from the transposition of a European regulation and is mandatory for all municipalities in Spain, which will have increases of 40% or fixed annual rates. In this regard, the mayor has made it clear that Elche "is one of the municipalities where the most gentle application of this increase will be carried out."

The goal of the municipal government is for the families of Elche to "notice as little as possible" this increase in the waste tax, said the third deputy mayor, Aurora Rodil. Hence the 50% discount for vulnerable families, subject to a Social Action certificate, in addition to retirees and large families.

Rodil noted that the discount must be requested before the end of the voluntary payment period and that a total of 17,000 households in Elche can benefit from it: about 15,000 retirees and around 1,800 large families, in addition to the vulnerable who may benefit.

In this way, she assured that through these discounts "some families will pay even less than before." She explained that "there are households whose annual payment of the tax currently amounts to 37 euros. In 2025 they will pay 18 euros more, a total of 55, but if the holder is a retiree or a large family, they will pay half, that is, 27.5 euros, 10 euros less than they are currently paying."