Puerto de la Cruz Council Fails to Collect €45 Million in Two Years
Puerto de la Cruz City Council failed to collect approximately 45 million euros between 2022 and 2023 due to uncollected waste taxes, public space occupation fees, and other charges, prompting a record 2026 budget increase driven by improved revenue collection and a focus on public services and procurement.
Puerto de la Cruz City Council failed to collect about 45 million euros between 2022 and 2023. Over 24 million euros were uncollected in the first year, and nearly 20 million in the second.
Pedro Antonio Campos, the Finance Councilor, revealed this on November 20th while presenting the 2026 municipal budget. He stated that the council was "losing a lot of money" and estimated that they were collecting less than 70% of what they should have. Specifically, the previous government wasn't collecting waste taxes, public space occupation fees, and other charges, with no follow-up in place.
The current ruling coalition, made up of PP, CC, and ACP, explained that the 2026 budget increase is partly due to improved revenue collection. This has led to a "record budget" of over 50 million euros.
Combined with funds from higher government bodies, the budget has grown by almost 9%. An extraordinary meeting to approve it will be held on November 24th, and it will take effect on January 1st, 2026. The council plans to review the accounts in February 2026 after the 2025 financial year is settled. In March, a further extraordinary session will incorporate an estimated 13 million euro treasury surplus.
Of this surplus, seven million euros will go to the Sustainable City department, increasing its budget by 42%. The Security department will also receive more funding, allowing for the hiring of 11 new local police officers.
Campos highlighted that social spending and public services are the main focuses of the 2026 budget. For services, he noted that contracts for cleaning municipal buildings, the water cycle, gardening, and waste collection will be awarded next year. He described 2026 as "the year of public procurement" for the council.
The local administration's staff will also expand. The new Staffing Plan includes two new positions: an architect for the Sustainable City area and an industrial engineer to explore new business opportunities for the city. Additionally, tax burdens will be slightly reduced, with the Real Estate Tax (IBI) decreasing from 0.53% to 0.52%.
The Culture budget will also see an increase of over one million euros. Campos concluded by saying, "Those who accused us of being against culture, we are demonstrating that what we are doing is betting on quality cultural policies by increasing the budget for this area."