By David Jackson
The collapse of the Spanish economy caused a massive drop in the amount of taxes collected from across Spain. But a new study by the association of tax inspectors Gestha has laid bare the true cost to Spanish coffers.
Almería was -and continues to be- one of the provinces which was most affected by the bursting of the economy bubble in 2008. This was most evident in 2012, when the province had the highest unemployment rate of mainland Europe and a corporate bankruptcy rate of several businesses a day. At one point, nearly 40 per cent of the active workforce or 135,700 people were seeking employment.
This dramatic economic collapse led to a drastic drop in tax revenue collected here, bringing Almería to the forefront in the Gestha study.
Spain collected €253 billion less than it had expected to over the six-year period, according to the analysis released this week.
