The percentage of citizens who mark both boxes on the Income Tax return to allocate 0.7% of the Personal Income Tax to the Catholic Church and also to other social purposes has grown in 10 years by 6.37 points, practically the same as that of those who do not indicate any of the two options, 6.32 points, while the second (aid to NGOs) is the preferred option by 49.6% of taxpayers in the Canary Islands.
According to data provided to EFE by the Tax Agency and the Treasury departments of the Basque territories and Navarre, in a period of 10 years the proportion of Spaniards who choose to mark both boxes at the same time instead of opting only for the Church or for NGOs has increased, but there are also more who submit their declaration without taking advantage of any of these possibilities.
This last circumstance does not have a clear explanation, but, according to the Navarre Regional Treasury and the Spanish Episcopal Conference, it may be because many declarants accept their draft Income Tax return without checking that it comes, logically, with the boxes blank or because part of the managers who are in charge of completing the declarations leave them unfilled.
Fewer taxpayers choose only the Church
Specifically, between 2010 and 2020, the proportion of taxpayers who put the X only in the Church box has fallen by 10.93 percentage points, and by 2.28 points for those who prefer their contribution to go exclusively to NGOs.
In all communities, the percentage of taxpayers who mark only the Church box has decreased, and in all except Galicia, Navarre and Asturias, the percentage of those who mark only the social purposes box has decreased.
On the contrary, the percentage of those who do not mark any of the two boxes has increased in all territories, and that of those who mark both Xs together has increased in all communities except the Basque Country.
This last point is what the Catholic Church has raised on occasions, as did the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference and Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Juan José Omella, in last year's Income Tax campaign, in which Cáritas launched the campaign "It costs nothing to help X two" to invite society to mark both boxes.
For her part, the president of the Platform of Social Action NGOs, Yolanda Besteiro, recalled a few days ago that "by marking both, taxpayers do not divide the aid, but double it and allocate 0.7% of their Personal Income Tax to the Church and another 0.7% to social purposes".
The Canary Islands is the region of Spain with the most 0.7% blank declarations
In absolute figures, in those 10 years the number of Income Tax returns has increased by 2.4 million - up to almost 23.2 million - but those that only include the X for the Church have fallen by 1.9 million - in the 2020 campaign there were less than 2.3 million, 10.9% of the total - and those that have only marked the social purposes box have only grown by 330,000 - up to almost 7.77 million, 33.5% -.
On the other hand, the declarations that include both Xs have increased by more than 1.8 million - to reach 4.63 million, 20.7% of the total -.
If these are added to those who only lean towards allocating that contribution to the Church, this option is chosen globally by more than 7.34 million taxpayers, 31.66% of the total, with maximums in Castilla-La Mancha (44.69%), La Rioja (43.84%) and Extremadura (43.75%) and minimums in Catalonia (16.33%), the Basque Country (22.87%) and Galicia (24.16%).
In turn, added to those who choose only the box for social purposes, this option becomes the majority preference, chosen by more than 12.5 million citizens, 54.22% of the total, more in La Rioja (63.06%), Navarre (58.18%) and Castilla y León (57.72%) and less in the Canary Islands (49.63%), the Valencian Community (51.41%) and Aragon (52.44%).
Finally, those that are delivered to the Treasury with both boxes blank have increased by 1.9 million - to exceed 8 million, 34.8% of the total -.
The declarations that do not include allocation to either the Catholic Church or social purposes are 42.50% in the Canary Islands, 39.94% in Catalonia and 38.33% in the Valencian Community, compared to only 18.69% in Navarre, 25.74% in La Rioja and 28.25% in Castilla y León.
