Dear Islander,
Last months front page was devoted to the local government and taxman trying to gain more revenue from yachtsmen regarding the selling and buying of berths.
This month it’s the turn of the national government, via the Puertos de Estado in increasing the taxes within these ports.
These taxes are levied on a range of activities from the facilities and businesses in these ports along with transport of merchandise through the ports.
It appears however that the biggest losers are going to be the large passenger cruising ships and private yachts with hikes of various percentages being bandied around.
These increases have yet to be applied (at the time of writing) and I hope to get more concrete figures for the next issue.
For many years the so called T-1 and T-0 taxes have been contentious and subjects of a number of legal wrangles.
It will be interesting to see if the new law closes any argumentative loopholes!
And berths are very much in the minds of yachtsmen in France too.
A recent change in the law has drastically effected the ‘berth market’ in an attempt to stamp out the ‘speculators effect’ on the prices.
Now it is illegal to ‘sublet’ berths- letting can now only be done through the Capitaneries and shareholders in marinas are obliged to sign a new contract (amodiation). Anyone refusing to sign the new contract or caught ‘subletting’ berths will be prosecuted.
A shareholder now has the right to keep his own boat in a designated berth and nothing else.
This new move plus the fact that the 50 year leases to the clubs from the state via the local town hall are now coming to an end (e.g. Beaulieu Dec. 2018) is expected to produce a levelling effect on prices.
In an industry that is largely funded by money from free enterprise these changes will surely now make more owners look further afield than the Western Med!
Regards
John Rule