It's going to be half past twelve. In outpatient consultations, waiting for my appointment with the digestive specialist. The other day I had a gastroscopy and the day I went to the appointment with the specialist they had not passed the results to him. Things ...
It's going to be half past twelve. In outpatient consultations, waiting for my appointment with the digestive specialist. The other day I had a gastroscopy and the day I went to the appointment with the specialist they had not passed the results to him. Things related to the lack of adequate organization that, as you will understand, generates waste of human resources because the doctor, to assess the gastroscopy, has had to visit me twice.
As always happens, they schedule you for 12:30 but you better bring a book, a mobile phone with games or, in my case, the iPad. But, many do not carry any of this or simply like to argue more. Well, this is what I want to tell you about.
Two ladies and a young man. They are sitting, he is standing. Arguing about everything. Even about the Church. According to the young man, the Pope weighs 50 kilos "in flesh" and another 80 kilos in gold. And this is because of the debate on whether the IBI ("the contribution") should be charged to the Church. And, well, talking about priests, things get complicated.
It seems that these two ladies and the young man, well, about 40 years old, do not have much sympathy for the ecclesiastical hierarchy. They like the work done by the missionaries "who do a lot of good and for free", said the young man, but, like many people, they believe that the Church, the one written with capital letters, is a "rip-off" of unchristian interests.
I, the truth, do not know any bishop, my superior hierarchy. I know and have known several priests, few nuns and many people who work as catechists or who work in the parish assemblies of Cáritas and in diocesan Cáritas. Some and others live austerely and are very dedicated to others. And, without a doubt, they carry out work of great social interest that would be impossible to satisfy if the Church did not exist.
And, thinking about this that the Church does not pay IBI, I wonder. Do foundations pay IBI? Does the Red Cross pay IBI? At this moment I don't know, but, before continuing to write, I'm going to find out.
Well, article 62, d) of Royal Legislative Decree 2/2004, which approves the consolidated text of the Law Regulating Local Finances, establishes that the assets of the Spanish Red Cross are exempt from paying IBI. Section c) of the same article also establishes that the assets of the Catholic Church are exempt, as well as those of other religious denominations, according to agreements established with each of them.
But, if we charge the IBI to the Catholic Church, what do you think could happen? Would it cut expenses in some of its things? Would it charge admission to visit those premises for which it must pay IBI? Would they charge us for religious services such as baptisms, communions, weddings, funerals? Would the parish work of Caritas disappear? Would it sell images, paintings, jewelry, churches, monasteries?
And, if this were the case in Lanzarote, would the Church sell the temple of San Ginés and rent a warehouse or a nave to celebrate mass? Would it auction the image of the Virgen de Dolores? Would it charge admission to visit the church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Teguise?
To some, less than 20% of the population of Spain, the Canary Islands, Lanzarote, all this would be the same or they would even be happy. But, how would the vast majority of Spaniards, Canarians and Lanzaroteños value all this? Would the residents of Tinajo throw their mayor, Jesús Machín, into a ravine if he decided to charge the Church the IBI for the hermitage of the Virgen de Los Dolores and to pay for it the bishop decided to auction the image of the Patron Saint of Lanzarote?
For the time being, despite the stir that the left-wing parties, the indignant, some media and other opinion leaders are causing, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces has already said that they do not plan to ask the Government to change the law.
By the way. The stomach is fine. Continue with the pills for the hiatal hernia and otherwise fine. Well, in the morning, my family doctor told me that I have high cholesterol. That I should control my meals more. I will do so.
P.D.: The R.D. 2/2004 does not say so, but Law 49/2002, of December 23, on the tax regime of non-profit entities and tax incentives for patronage, in the chapter on local taxes, article 15, in its point 1, establishes that "The assets owned by non-profit entities, in the terms provided in the regulations governing Local Finances, will be exempt from the Real Estate Tax, except those affected by economic activities not exempt from Corporation Tax".
