Santa Cruz de Tenerife Extends Waste Tax Deadlines to Ease Financial Impact on Households

Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council is rolling out a new notification process for waste tax payments to give families more flexibility following changes to how the tax is calculated. By moving the payment deadline to the second collection period—usually reserved for businesses—the council aims to ease the financial impact of new national waste management regulations (Law 7/2022).

Starting this Sunday, the council will notify taxpayers in two ways. Residents can access their documents through the municipal Electronic Office, where a digital signature will confirm receipt and start the voluntary payment period. Alternatively, the council is mailing approximately 65,000 payment letters in stages. Please note that the payment deadline begins as soon as you access your notification through either method; whichever you use first will set your specific legal deadline.

Finance Councilor José Alberto Díaz-Estébanez advises all taxpayers to check the specific date on their payment document, as deadlines will vary across the city. He also clarified that the 5% discount for direct debit payments will not apply this year and is not scheduled to take effect until 2027. Payments must be made through the channels listed in the notification, either in person at the Citizen Information and Attention Offices (OIAC) or via the council’s online portal.

The voluntary payment period runs from September 15 to November 23, 2026. This shift follows new European and national rules requiring municipalities to charge the full cost of waste services. Because the new calculation model—which considers property value and the number of residents—has increased costs for many households, Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez introduced this delay to help residents manage a bill that was previously paid alongside property taxes earlier in the year.