Tax Break Secured for Green Islands
In a parliamentary session this Tuesday, the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, guaranteed that a 60% income tax (IRPF) bonus for the “green islands”—La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro—will be included in the so-called ‘Canary Islands decree’. This is the document the regional government is sending to the central government for approval in the Council of Ministers.
A Push for Equal Treatment
President Clavijo confirmed this directly to Casimiro Curbelo, leader of the Gomera Socialist Group (ASG) and president of the Gomera Island Council, stating, “Article 5 of the decree includes this bonus not only for La Palma, but for El Hierro and La Gomera.” Clavijo emphasized his belief in equal treatment for all islands, asserting, “We believe in equal islands, not in first and second-class islands,” to support Curbelo’s advocacy for what he called “the poorest islands in the entire country.”
Political Tensions and Two Canary Islands
During the session, Curbelo took the opportunity to criticize the Minister of Finance, Matilde Asián, for “not including any tax relief measures for the green islands in the 2026 budgets.” He challenged national parties, saying, “It is necessary for the PSOE and the PP to show their true colors, both in the Council of Ministers and in Congress.”
Curbelo spoke vehemently about the economic divide within the archipelago, stating, “There are two Canary Islands, whether we like it or not; one that grows socially and economically in the two capitals, the south of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, and in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and then there is the rest, which declines and stagnates in population. Let’s finally understand these two realities, enough is enough.”
Background of the Fiscal Benefit
While the tax bonus for La Palma was already secured as part of the recovery measures following the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano, La Gomera and El Hierro had initially been excluded. This omission led the Senate to approve a motion just last week to extend this fiscal benefit to all three islands—a motion that was supported by the PP but from which the PSOE abstained.
