A Blast from the Harbour

The usual serene calm of the Palma 2011 Boat Show was shattered by the massed horns of hundreds of boats blasting their displeasure in unison at noon each day. The Palma Show was used as a platform for the domestic and international nautical industry to show their opposition to the discriminatory and hugely unpopular matriculation tax (IEDMT/ISDMT) charged by the Spanish authorities. Over 35,000 people visited the fair and they would not have been able to ignore the daily blasting of yacht horns in protest against the tax. We hope the Balearic President, Francesc Antich, will have heard it from his office across the Paseo Maritimo!

You’ll need the sound on

The tax is charged on yachts over 8m that remain in Spanish waters for more than 183 days in any year. The local tourism authorities and Chambers of Commerce are keen to see the scrapping of a tax that places Spain at a signficant disadvantage to neighbouring destintations such as Gibraltar (where there’s no tax) and France where the taxes are lower. Indeed taxes in Spain can mean that purchasing a yacht can be 30% more expensive than the European average.