Spain explores new gambling tax regime

Spain’s Minister of Consumer Affairs Alberto Garzón is planning to sanction a review of the tax regime against gambling operators in the country.

Speaking to Europa Press, Garzón confirmed there was a plan to review the tax structure having notified the Treasury of his intentions.

However, while Garzón revealed he was studying the “formulas” with the Treasury, there was “no proposal on the table” at present. Spain cut the online gambling tax for online operators based on GGR from 25% to 20% in 2018.

Operators in the Iberian nation have found themselves in Garzón’s crosshairs over the last 12 months, with the politician waving through a swathe of gambling advertising regulation, including a ban on football sponsorships.

Garzón said a potential new tax structure, combined with the advertising ban, were part of a “multidimensional approach” to tackling gambling-related harm across the country’s 17 autonomous regions.

He also said there were plans to launch “intense” awareness and information advertising campaigns around the dangers of the gambling.

The Riojan went on to state the Covid-19 pandemic had had a negative impact on public health from a gambling-related harm perspective.

He said: “Our roadmap does not change and the only thing that happens is that the magnitude of something that is being problematic increases or decreases and that, above all, has to do with the leisure model of cities.

“Cities that have more gambling houses than green parks, the message that is transferred to people is the leisure of young people has to be done there and that is a problem that the pandemic exacerbates,” he added.