One in four Spaniards believes that taxes are something the State forces them to pay without knowing for what. Among those aged 25 to 44, the proportion rises to one in three.
According to Marca, the latest study from the Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) reflects an increase in citizens' distrust towards the tax system. One in four respondents defines taxes as something the State forces them to pay without really knowing what they get in return, a perception that reaches one in three among people aged 25 to 44.
The debate moved to the XXXVI Annual Congress of State Tax Inspectors (IHE), held in Toledo. There, Francisco de la Torre, a tax inspector, former deputy and author of several books on taxation, acknowledged the image problem facing the agency.
"Our image is not at its best moment"
De la Torre explained that citizens' discontent is often directed at those on the front line of the State Agency for Tax Administration (AEAT), even though the responsibility may not lie with them.
"Citizens end up venting their discontent on the one who shows their face, which is the AEAT. You end up taking it out on the one who demands the taxes"
In the same meeting, Juan José Rubio, a professor of Public Finance at the University of Castilla-La Mancha and former director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IEF), insisted that it is necessary to explain what taxes are for and what services they finance.
"We are doing something wrong if we are not conveying the social importance of paying taxes to guarantee the welfare state"
The CIS data and the inspectors' words place trust in the tax administration as a pending issue, with communication about the purpose of taxes being one of the proposed avenues.
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