I n this devastating crisis that twists us and insists on nesting for long nights among us, the politicians who, with steel bridles, pretend to tame the beast – marking, of course, with iron and fire the suffering and increasingly fewer taxpayers who are still left at the pit – are willing to do (almost) anything to get us out of this economic hole that seems to have no bottom. They do not care about our expenses -nor about theirs, of course- and, in order to move the country forward and give a bit of hope to future generations, they sacrifice us in the secular altars of taxes. In short, things are on fire, and the bad thing is that we are the fuel for arsonists who have not just directed the hose towards the fire that they themselves have caused with such disproportionate plugging and waste of our money in the elephantine public administrations.
In its magnanimous equanimity of giving everyone what they don’t deserve, the Spanish Government, through its Minister Montoro, is now determined to scrape up the meager crumbs that serve to keep the delicate golf sector, in some cases in a moribund state, from collapsing. Our rulers are anxious to empty our already meager pockets -always for our sake and that of society as a whole, remember-, and now it is the turn of golf, to which they want to strike the blow by increasing VAT by no less than 163 percent!
From contributing to the public coffers with 8 percent of its income (reduced VAT), now Montoro and Co. want to apply the normal rate, which is not normal at all, that is, to raise it to 21 percent. The mandarins of the public thing do not take into account the tourist dimension of golf and want to equate this business with sports activities such as gyms and similar businesses.
You don’t have to be a lynx to see the hundreds of thousands of tourists who travel to Spain every year with the exclusive motivation of playing golf, especially European foreigners whose countries do not enjoy a climate as enviable as ours during the autumn and winter season. In Andalusia, and especially on the Costa del Sol, this golf tourism segment is of capital importance, especially outside the season known as sun and beach, that is, when it is most interesting to deseasonalize hotel occupancy and the entire tourism sector in general. What would be, for example, of the Costa del Sol in winter if there were not its wide range of golf courses, about 70? What would become of many hotels, restaurants, bars, car rental businesses, boutiques, all kinds of stores… What would become, in short, of the economy of this Andalusian tourist destination if golfers chose other places to practice their favorite sport during their short breaks or long vacations? Well, that is what is at stake: the economy of many thousands of people who depend directly and indirectly on golf.
Although it is true that the average spending level of a golf tourist is much higher than that of a sun and beach tourist, which, together with the aforementioned deseasonalization, should be taken into account by a conscious government (antithesis?), the truth is that golfers are also sensitive to prices (especially to price increases) and are increasingly looking at how to get the most out of their money. We must also take into account the hypersensitivity of tour operators with regard to prices. Competition between golf destinations (Portugal, Turkey…) is fierce and travel agents are looking above all – let’s not fool ourselves – for their business, that is, for profits, and if another offers better conditions or more attractive prices for their clients, they will send them there, even if their courses are not as numerous or good, or the tourist infrastructures in the area cannot boast such high quality. Business is business.
As the president of the Costa del Sol Tourist Board, Elías Bendodo, said recently, golf tourism “is key” for this destination; “its economic importance and its role in the deseasonalization of our offer is beyond debate”. Not in vain, it represents 10 percent of the total income from tourism on the Costa del Sol, which means 400 million euros a year, which increases to 900 if we add its indirect impact (catering, transportation, shopping and leisure, culture, etc.).
You do not have to be a lynx, Your Excellency, Minister, to realize that a golf course in Spain is not just a simple sports business: it is, above all, a first-rate tourist enterprise, an attractive incentive for Spanish and foreign tourists to enjoy our golf, and our economy with its income. Mr. Montoro, let’s wake up, man, and leave golf in peace. Let’s hope that the Minister of Tourism, who at least seems to understand the tribulations of the sector, will make him reconsider and the IVAcide against golf will not end up being perpetrated.
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