Ir al contenido 
Montoro announces that a "large number" of applications for the refund of the "céntimo sanitario" have already been submitted.
The Minister of Finance and Public Administrations, Cristóbal Montoro, announced this Wednesday that the Tax Agency has already received a "large number" of applications for the refund of the 'céntimo sanitario', the surcharge introduced in the Tax on Hydrocarbons that the Court of Justice of the European Union declared illegal. At the government control session in Congress, Montoro said that a standardised refund application form is available at the Tax Agency, which is for voluntary use and is designed expressly for presenting these claims, while instructions for its completion are also available and information is provided on the requirements that must be met to be entitled to the refund. The minister also wanted to make it clear that the Tax Agency will subject the applications submitted to control, so that the refund is only made to those who can prove their right to obtain it, who are the consumers, and warned that the submission of "improper" applications or the use of "incorrect, inaccurate or false" data will be subject to penalties in accordance with the tax penalty system. Montoro recalled that the ruling of the EU Court resolves a preliminary ruling on a specific taxpayer, so its extension to other citizens must be dealt with on an individual basis and depending on the situation of each claim. For this reason, he stated that it will be a "costly" administrative process, which will depend on the route chosen for each claim. UPyD ACCUSES HIM OF ACTING IN BAD FAITH. The Minister's explanations did not convince UPyD MP Carlos Martínez Gorriarán, who accused Montoro of having acted in "bad faith", as the ruling also makes clear, and of now "threatening" taxpayers who want to claim undue payment of the tax. "In 2002 the 'céntimo sanitario' came into force, when you were Minister of Finance (...), and it was a reckless decision because they knew that what they were doing was illegal, they were warned that it should not come into force and now you come to say that beware of those who claim," criticised the UPyD deputy. In his opinion, the State has committed a tax fraud "that has no pass" because in a democratic government of a normal country, "you would have had to resign", for acting "in bad faith" by creating an "illegal" tax. "Return the money now," he told the minister. Montoro defended himself from the criticism by assuring that the Government eliminated the 'céntimo sanitario' since 2013, before the ruling took place, and accused UPyD of not making any positive proposals on economic or fiscal matters. "Spain is that great country that is returning to economic growth and job creation despite you," he said. EUROPA PRESS
