The Socialist Party of Lanzarote has denounced that the president of the Cabildo and deputy of the Canarian Coalition, Oswaldo Betancort, has once again voted against implementing a tourist tax, "a tool that has proven to be essential to protect the natural resources of the territories where it has been implemented, strengthen public services and ensure that tourism leaves real benefits in the territory."
Neither protect your people, nor defend your land
“Once again, Betancort has decided to side with the tourism business, not the general interest. Tell us once and for all who he defends: Canarians or hoteliers?”, said the general secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote and deputy in Congress, María Dolores Corujo. “The Canarian Coalition has the Canary Islands and the flag only as a slogan. But when it comes to acting, they don't know how to protect their people and defend this land. They are ignoring the social outcry that has manifested itself against this model and that calls for a culture of limits.”
Corujo recalled that "the refusal to implement the tourist tax is not an isolated event, but is part of a deeply unsustainable model that is aggravating the structural problems of the island." “Since Betancort came to the presidency of the Cabildo, eight new hotels have been authorized, including the illegal Papagayo Arena. There is no will to set limits. All they do is continue adding beds, even if that means reducing the population's quality of life.”
"There is no will to set limits"
To this uncontrolled tourist growth is added the vertiginous increase in vacation homes. “Since Oswaldo Betancort is president, the number of VV has skyrocketed. CC has created a call effect that is destroying the residential market and expelling people from their neighborhoods. Meanwhile, he has not promoted a single measure to stop this bubble, nor have they been able to promote more public housing than the PSOE left planned,” said Corujo.
"The direct consequence of this policy is an unprecedented housing crisis. According to recent data, rent has increased by more than 40% in the last three years, and many families have to allocate more than half of their income to continue living on their island. Canarians are being pushed out of their land to continue opening hotels and renting houses to the highest bidder,” he denounced.
Corujo has reiterated the urgent need to apply a moratorium on new tourist licenses, regulate vacation homes and launch an ecotax that guarantees that tourism contributes to financing public services and the sustainability of the territory. “You can't continue acting as if Lanzarote were a money-making machine for a few. This is an island, not a resort or a theme park,” Corujo stated.
