Guardamar has the second-highest IBI rate in the Vega Baja

A mayor and their governing team are responsible for managing residents’ taxes as efficiently as possible. The property tax, known as IBI or, popularly, «la contribución», is levied and administered by each town council, at a rate ranging from a minimum of 0.40% to a maximum of 1.10% of each property’s cadastral value. Our Town Council raised IBI by 17% in 2024, making it the second-highest rate in the whole Vega Baja district. The council increased it from 0.818% to 0.95%. Albatera tops the list at 1.01%, with Daya Vieja in third place at 0.94%. At the other end of the scale, Torrevieja, at 0.40%, and Almoradí and Benferri, both at 0.50%, are the towns where residents face the lowest tax burden. The national average IBI rate is 0.62%, putting ours 50% above it. In addition to this increase, residents have also faced the new refuse tax, which, although mandated by the central government, must be administered and collected by town councils. Its amount has almost doubled: IBI revenue rose from €7,833,000 in 2023 to €9,292,000 in 2025. Revenue from the refuse tax went from €1,547,261 in 2023 to €2,210,000 in 2025. Another local tax, vehicle tax, rose from €920,000 in 2023 to €985,000 in 2025. This means that in just two years, Guardamar residents have paid €12,487,000 in these three local taxes alone — €2,187,000 more per year. Those in government must take great care when managing taxes, which residents are finding increasingly difficult to pay. Delivering better public services with less taxpayers’ money is a way of showing respect for residents. Everyone can judge whether this spectacular rise in revenue has brought improvements to our town. While residents accept that taxes must be paid, they must be fair and properly managed.