There was a bitter confrontation between the left and right parties over the proposal that the Catholic Church should pay council tax on its properties in Calasparra at the full Town Hall meeting last night.
Two motions, one by the ruling Socialist party and supported by the United Left, and one put by the United Left, call for central government to change the law which exempts the Catholic Church from paying the tax.
Finally the Socialist motion was passed but not before the Partido Popular had accused representatives of the two other parties of “attacking the church” and “putting at risk the charitable work of Caritas.”
Responding the Mayor said the church owned many “productive properties which provided an income.” All the motion required was that “all property owners pay council tax and that the church, at a time when we are making sacrifices and suffering from the crisis, plays its part,” he said.
Ricardo Garcia, Coordinator of the United Left, said Caritas survived on donations from the public and not because it was supported by the church. ““It makes me very angry because we all finance Caritas. We all make donations of clothing, food and funds and this is how Caritas is able to do its charitable work in the community,” he said. “The church should pay council tax. Its exemption is an antique law and this change is long overdue.”
The Partido Popular demanded that if the Catholic Church was expected to pay council tax so should Trade Unions, political parties and other organizations and the Mayor agreed.
“Property owners who benefit from a property should pay council tax.” he said, “At a time when our citizens are making sacrifices it is not fair that certain institutions have fiscal advantages.”
