The Andalusia regional government has introduced an increase on the Property Transfer Tax (ITP) and Stamp Duty (AJD), whish will be applied from January 1st 2012. Transfer Tax for resale property purchases will now be calculated according to the following rates:

Any amount between € 400.000 and € 700.000 - 9% Transfer Tax
Any amount up to € 400.000 - 8% Transfer Tax
Any amount in excess of € 700.000 - 10% Transfer Tax

Here is an example: A property valued at 750.000€ will be subject to a tax of 64.000€, which is based on the following calculation:

8% up to 400.000€ – 32.000€
9% between 400.000€ and 700.000€ – 27.000€
10% over 700.000€ – 5.000€

Transfer Tax applicable for a private parking space, when purchased as an independent property, will be based on the following rates:

Any amount up to 30.000€ – 8% Transfer Tax
Any amount between 30.000€ and 50.000€ – 9% Transfer Tax
Any amount in excess of 50.000€ – 10% Transfer Tax

Please note that the Property Transfer Tax is not based on the property purchase price, but on the minimum fiscal value, which is regulated by the Regional Government. Stamp Duty has also been increased from 1% to 1.2% and applies to brand new property purchases and mortgages, where Transfer Tax does not apply.

The contract was awarded to the Qatari Sheikh who owns Málaga Football Club. The project to develop Marbella’s La Bajadilla Port was officially presented at a Marbella hotel on Tuesday, where it was revealed that 100% of the companies which will be involved in the work will be Spanish. It’s estimated that it will create 1,500 direct jobs and another 3,000 indirect.

The contract for the new port was awarded to the owner of Málaga Football Club, the Qatari Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani, whose right hand man and Vice-President of Málaga, Abdullah Mohamed Haj-Ghubn, was there to give details of the project on Tuesday, accompanied by the Partido Popular Mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz.

Diario Sur reports that the Sheikh will make available the 400 million budget for the project from his own funds, and it’s hoped that not having to depend on funding from the banks will allow the work to be completed within a timescale of three years. The aim is for building to start at the beginning of next year. The new port will have mooring for 858 boats, a dry dock for another 360, plus two berths for yachts of up to 125 metres in length. There will also be a dock for 175-metre cruise liners, with capacity for 500 passengers. The temporary consortium formed for the project has been named Bin Nasir Abdullah & Sons, in which Marbella Town Hall has a 3% share.

The Spanish government has promised new planning laws and an end to the confusion surrounding “illegal” homes in a bid to woo back the British property buyer. There are 800,000 unsold homes in Spain – half of them near the coast. Most are now at heavily discounted prices which should make them attractive to bargain hunters.

Housing Secretary Beatriz Corredor has revealed in an interview that the Spanish government is to steer a package of legal reforms through Parliament this month, and in coming weeks the government will also launch a series of road shows around Britain and other northern European countries to promote Spain’s property market. She said the new laws would eliminate the confusion that has led in some cases to British home owners being told to knock down their properties because they were illegally built.

She asked prospective buyers to “trust in the system that we have and the transparency we provide”, tempting them with prices significantly lower than two years ago – housing prices in Malaga have fallen on average by 24 per cent. Overall, since the country’s economic crisis began, prices have plummeted by up to 40 per cent and banks and construction firms are desperate to recoup their investment.

In recent years, one third of all Spanish properties sold to foreigners have been bought by Britons, but many are now being put off by horror stories of planning permission being retrospectively revoked and other complications, so numbers have slumped.

But the government is now trying to right all the wrongs committed in the past by local councils, builders, real estate agents and lawyers, who all reassured foreign buyers that any issuing bits of papers could be obtained “later” without any trouble. To correct this, a key element in the package of legal reforms is that for any property being sold the local council will be obliged to provide a document stating clearly its boundaries, the category of land on which it stands, its access to services including water and electricity, and details of its planning approval.

The Playwright Bar and restaurant in Elviria is the second venture for the lively husband and wife team which made Beckitts Restaurant in Marbella a great success. They invite an International clientèle to enjoy their great food and fine wines every day of the week; with its cosy snug areas, swooping stylish bar, elegant decor and then light and airy terrace it really is a venue that you will feel at home in. Whilst food is still very much on the menu it’s also the fine wines, cocktails. connoisseur collection of whiskey and live music every night which will make the bar a rip roaring success.

As well as Carlsberg and Guiness something that many an Englishman will be happy to see is Speckled Hen Ale and Real English Cider on draft at the bar. Just what you need after a hard day’s work or a long day snoozing on the beach! They serve a lunch menu from 12.00-16.00 a bar food menu from 12.00-21.00 and Tapas all day (basically Tapas size portions of the menu itself) from 12.00-24.00.

There is also a Daily Lunch special (see the menu example below) for 15 € and a Sunday Brunch with Live Jazz for 20 € every week. They welcome interest from larger parties for private bookings and will be open for all those special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas and New Year with special menus and a celebratory air. They will regularly be hosting live music events so be sure to check the events calendar on the home page to see what’s on. www.theplaywrightmarbella.com