Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts
the stars to flight.

And, lo, the hunter of the east has caught the sultan’s turret in a noose of light.

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable – Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain.

Cosas de España/Galiza

Hmm . . . Brussels made 19 recommendations re preventing corruption in 2019, Spain hasn’t implemented any of them, it’s reported. Though legislative measures have been drafted. Which is a good first step.

Cannabis trends in Spain.

Avoiding mosquito bites this summer . . .

Minimising inheritance tax . . . See the VdG article at the end of this post. In English, with a Galicia bias.

30 or 40 years ago, Spain was different. In a number of ways. For one thing, it was a poor market for antidepressants. But now I read that – in Galicia at least – doctor appointments for mental health conditions are double what they were 15 years ago. And that patients might have to wait a year for one. Other changes over the decades have been more welcome. The decline in road deaths, for examples. And the reduction in smoking, albeit more among males than females.

Not every shop in Pv city opens on Saturday morning in summer. Certainly not the 2 I visited yesterday morning. A 100% failure rate.

Iran

The US attacks on Iran have backfired horribly – but a path to peace is still possible, asserts this columnist.

THE MAGA REALITY TV SHOW

Quotes of the Day

• Trump is becoming the ‘ask me anything’ president. What might seem at times like a stream of consciousness with no quality control is also a device that allows the president to own the news cycle. How? By simply not shutting up. The Trump Show runs 24/7 on TV, radio, livestreams, podcasts and social media, topping the ratings all over the world. The USP? There’s only one host.
• The thing he is the best at is the ‘fire hose of falsehood’ technique, when you spray out an enormous volume of lies and half-truths at a pace no one can keep up with.

Russia v Ukraine

Trump’s deadline date gets closer and closers – only 7 days left, I believe. No sign yet of Putin making even a gesture. One wonders if he thinks the US President is a bloviating buffoon.

The Way of the World

• How bullshit took over our lives. [I’m reminded of the colleague who used to say quite frequently: ¨Bullshit baffles brains¨. And that was more than 30 years ago.]
• Truth is the leading victim in the spread of therapeutic culture.

Spanish

• Sopapo: Slap, jab.
• Aspavientos: Fuss
• Pletórico: Exultant. Replete.
• Laudo: Award, ruling, decision.

Did you know?

The world’s most spoken languages in 2025.

Finally . . . Taxes and Death . . .

The Tax Office and What You Pay for an Inheritance

There are taxes and taxes. There’s one, inheritance tax, which is, to say the least, grim: your father[parent] dies and the Tax Office charges you. This tax is precisely one of the most devastating for the wealthy. Let’s address this issue with an Inspector.

Who should pay inheritance tax?
Individuals who receive assets and rights through inheritance, legacy, or any other succession title, as well as those who collect life insurance. Although this doesn’t mean everyone who inherits has to pay, since, at least in Galicia, there is a minimum exemption that can reach 1.5 million euros for minor heirs, as well as other tax benefits for disabled people. There are also exemptions and reductions for inheriting a primary residence, a family business, or rural properties. This means that the number of taxpayers required to pay is extremely small, and is linked to large inheritances or successions of unrelated or non-related relatives.

What are the general and regional rates?
Inheritance tax is generally applied at a single rate, that of the deceased’s autonomous community of residence, and failing that, at the state rate.
For Galicians who are required to pay, the regional tax rate varies depending on the amount of the inheritance, the degree of kinship, and the heir’s pre-existing assets, ranging from a minimum of 5% to a maximum of 81%. The state rate is residual and applies if the community has not established its own rate, or when the heir or the deceased is not resident in Spanish territory.

Let’s assume a company. The owner dies. What tax situation will their heirs face?
In principle, for tax purposes, the outlook is reassuring because inheritances from businesses and economic operations benefit from a 99% tax discount, thanks to the so-called family business tax regime. This beneficial regime, improved for Galicia in 2023, was created to benefit “family” business assets that carry out economic activities and in which the business is the family group’s primary source of income.

Let’s imagine that you, as a tax inspector, advise a millionaire businessman. The company this man owns receives income from rentals, dividends from other companies, and returns on banking products. What would your strategy be for the businessman’s heirs?
So that no one is alarmed, the first thing I have to say is that tax inspectors do not advise individuals. The second is that we are against the use of risky tax planning. However, on a personal level, if a friend asked me, I would tell them to take advantage of the tax benefits provided by law, which are many, and opt for one of the legal options to reduce their tax burden.
In a case like the one you mentioned, involving a wealthy person with large non-business assets, I would advise them to contribute those assets and invest the capital in a company that carries out real economic activity and meets the requirements of a family business. This way, at the time of inheritance, they can reduce their heirs’ inheritance tax liability by 99%.

Do you think inheritance tax is fair, considering that inheritances are typically created within the family unit?
Inheritance tax brings fairness to the tax system, as it is a closing tax, which taxes the financial capacity of individuals who receive increases in wealth gratuitously.
However, precisely because it taxes assets that have been created within a family unit, fairness dictates that low rates be applied, which is not the case in our system, as the expert committee for tax reform itself has acknowledged. These high rates are mitigated in autonomous communities[regions] like ours through the application of minimum exemptions and other tax breaks. But this does not occur throughout the country, and furthermore, each region does so differently, which creates the injustice of different pay rates depending on where you live.
I believe that for this tax to be fair, it would need to be reformed, because it is unacceptable that there should be so many differences between regions, nor that the rates should be so high, especially for inheritances from uncles and cousins. Clearer regulations should be created to avoid litigation, on the one hand, and to be so “avoidable” for large fortunes, who can channel their money through tax structures that allow them to avoid paying taxes, resulting in this tax only ending up being paid by the middle class.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.

The Usual Links . . .

You can get my posts by email as soon as they’re published. With the added bonus that they’ll contain the typos I’ll discover later. I believe there’s a box for this at the bottom of each post. If you do this but don’t read the posts, I will delete your subscription. So perhaps don’t bother if you have other reasons for subscribing . . .

I can also be read on Facebook.

For new readers: If you’ve landed here looking for info on Galicia or Pontevedra, try here. If you’re passing through Pontevedra on the Camino, you’ll find a guide to the city.

If you´re thinking of moving to Spain, this link should be useful to you.