NIE Residence Card Application Changes

Posted on Wednesday, 25th January 2012 by Christopher Russell Goodall
NIE Card

NIE Card

It is now, no longer possible for a solicitor (lawyer) to apply for an NIE number through a Power of Attorney. Due to recent changes in the Spanish law, a person must now apply for their NIE number personally, at the police station. Solicitors will still be able to assist them with their NIE number application and can even accompany them to the police station if required. However, it will be compulsory for the applicant to appear at the police station themselves, in person.

 NIE numbers may also be applied for at any Spanish consulate or embassy, in the person’s home country, although this process might take longer, between 2 & 3 months, which will obviously delay the time needed to complete the buying process of property here inSpain.

 Therefore, if you are thinking of coming to Spain on an Inspection Trip to buy property, please be aware of such changes, since you will need to allocate extra time for an NIE application appointment.

Information kindly provided by Martínez-Echevarria, Pérez & Ferrero Solicitors.

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Spanish Tax Changes for 2012

Posted on Wednesday, 25th January 2012 by Christopher Russell Goodall
Tax Changes 2012

Tax Changes 2012

CAPITAL GAINS TAX:

The rate applicable has been increased to 21% for 2012 and 2013 (before it was 19%), on the net profit obtained by the sale of the property (deducted the amount corresponding to the 3% retained from the price).

 INCOME TAX:

(Non-residents’ annual tax return) – Regardless of whether or not your property is rented out you will always have to pay income tax as per the following rules:

 • If the property is let to a third party, for whatever reason, the applicable rate has been increased to 24.75% (for 2012 and 2013) on the net rent obtained by the landlord of the property. According to the new Law, all expenses directly connected with the letting of the property: electricity, water, community fees, rubbish collection or local rates, maintenance, cleaning services, can be deducted.

 • If your property is left empty, Spanish law assumes you have what is called “Deemed Rental Income” which is subject to non-resident Income Tax. This legal rent is obtained by applying the percentage of 1.1% on the cadastral value (rateable value) of the property, on which amount the rate of 24.75% is applied. This cadastral value is reflected on the IBI (council rates) and is normally lower than the value reflected on your title deed.

 WEALTH TAX:

This tax had been abolished in 2008 and was then reintroduced for 2011 (payable in 2012) and 2012 (payable in 2013) and will only affect residents and non-residents with assets in Spain of over € 700,000.

 The period for filing the Income Tax for non-residents who only have one property in Spain runs from 1st January to 31st December of the following year. In other words, the deadline for paying taxes corresponding to 2011 is 31st December 2012. This tax will be calculated on a pro rata basis for the first year and only for the period you owned the property in 2011.

Information kindly provided by Martínez-Echevarria, Pérez & Ferrero Solicitors

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Megaupload Shut Down By USA Government

Posted on Friday, 20th January 2012 by Christopher Russell Goodall
Megaupload Logo

Megaupload Logo

The popular file-sharing site “Megaupload” has been shut down today, proving once again how far-reaching the arms of the American Government are. The site allowed both free and paying users to store their own files and share them. However, the US Government has shut both the service and the site down alleging that they are breaking Copyright laws.

According to the BBC, ”This action is among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States and directly targets the misuse of a public content storage and distribution site to commit and facilitate intellectual property crime.”

Meanwhile, frustrated users with legitimate content, who have also been penalised by this harsh move, will just have to look at other sites that allow them a similar service.

What are your opinions about this? Too harsh? Justified? Let us know below.

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Doctor Who Christmas Special Trailer 2011

Posted on Friday, 23rd December 2011 by Christopher Russell Goodall

Seeing as there are quite a few Doctor Who fans in the office, here is a sneak preview or PREQUEL Trailer from the BBC to whet your appetite for the forthcoming Christmas Special, entitled “The Doctor, The Widow & The Wardrobe”.

You can watch the Special Episode this Sunday, 25th December at 7pm (UK Time) on BBC One. If the above trailer doesn’t display properly, then you can always visit the original BBC Doctor Who page here: Dr Who Christmas Special 2011 Trailer

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Almáchar’s New Monument in Honour of their Spanish Civil War Casualties

Posted on Friday, 16th December 2011 by Christopher Russell Goodall

This weekend, the Málaga village of Almáchar unveils their new monument in honour of the locals who died during the Spanish Civil War. Maltese Sculptor and local resident Eleazar Galea, who is no stranger to us here at Ideal Country Property, was commissioned to sculpt the new monument for the town.

Almáchar Village

Ceremony Sunday 18th December 2011

The ceremony will be held at the Municipal Cemetery this Sunday, 18th December, at 12 noon. The event is also part of an incentive to recover the local history of the town, backed by the Andalucian Council and the Málaga Province.

For those of you looking for a nice day out somewhere different, then Almáchar could be the place for you to visit. At 200m above sea level, it is 35km from Málaga and 14km from Vélez-Málaga. This town is the capital of the famous Málaga Moscatel Grape region and derives its name from the Arabic term meaning “The Meadows” or “Land of the Meadows”.

Google Map

For more information about the artist and his works, please visit www.eleazargalea.com.

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The Over 50s Show 2011 – Estepona

Posted on Monday, 21st November 2011 by Christopher Russell Goodall
PDC Estepona

Over 50s Show - Estepona

Following the successful events starting back in 2007, “The Over 50′s Show” returns to Estepona this November for the fifth year running. The last four shows have attracted an average of 85 exhibitors and 6,500 visitors.

NEW ATTRACTIONS INCLUDE:

  • Wine tasting
  • Bridge tuition
  • Bowling lessons
  • Free Adnission
  • Free Parking

Get to see Malta’s famous Artist & Sculptor, Eleazar Galea, in person along with his works of art made right here in Spain!

For all you wine lovers out there, click on the link to download the ‘Over 50s’ flyer, fill out the form and then hand it in at the show to win a case of wine worth over 100€.

And Remember: You don’t have to be over 50 to attend and enjoy the show!

Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th November from 11am until 6pm.

PALACIO DE CONGRESOS – ESTEPONA

DOWNLOAD FREE WINE CASE ENTRY FORM HERE!

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60 Seconds on the Internet

Posted on Monday, 12th September 2011 by Christopher Russell Goodall

Did you know that in 60 seconds, all this happens on the Internet…?

60 seconds on the Internet

Did You Know That – In 60 SECONDS…

  • Search engine Google serves more that 694,445 queries
  • 6,600+ pictures are uploaded on Flickr
  • 600 videos are uploaded on YouTube videos, amounting to 25+ hours of content
  • 695,000 status updates, 79,364 wall posts and 510,040 comments are published on Social Networking site Facebook
  • 70 New domains are registered
  • 168,000,000+ emails are sent
  • 320 new accounts and 98,000 tweets are generated on Social Networking site Twitter
  • iPhone applications are downloaded more than13,000 times
  • 20,000 new posts are published on Micro-blogging platform tumbler
  • Popular web browser FireFox is downloaded more than 1700 times
  • Popular blogging platform WordPress is downloaded more than 50 times
  • WordPress Plugins aredownloaded more than 125 times
  • 100 accounts are created on professional networking site LinkedIn
  • 40 new Questions are asked on YahooAnswers.com
  • 100+ questions are asked on Answers.com
  • 1 new article is published on Associated Content, the world’s largest source of community-created content
  • 1 new definition is added on UrbanDictionary.com
  • 1,200+ new ads are created on Craigslist
  • 370,000+ minutes of voice calls done by Skype users
  • 13,000+ hours of music streaming is done by personalized Internet radio provider Pandora
  • 1,600+ reads are made on Scribd, the largest social reading publishing company

Source: http://www.go-gulf.com/blog/60-seconds

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Import Facebook Photos into Google Plus

Posted on Wednesday, 20th July 2011 by Christopher Russell Goodall

Google Plus & Facebook

Google Plus & Facebook

Finally, there is an Application that enables Facebook users to export their photos and Pictures from Facebook and import them directly into the new Google Plus. Google Plus is still in the field testing stage and is available by invite only. The Security settings they seem to have got sorted, right from the start, unlike their rivals from Facebook. The interface is so much cleaner and easier to use as well.

Up until now, the biggest drawback for using Google Plus has been the arduous task of uploading all the photos stored on your Facebook account to the shiny new Google one but now the clever guys (and girls too, I imagine) over at AMIWORKS have come up with the perfect tool to do it automatically. Depending on how many photos you have, this process could take a while as we are talking about copying data from one server to another (without having to download it to your computer first though) but it’s well worth the effort.

All you need is to use the Google Chrome web browser. Don’t start fretting if you know nothing about this browser. It’s perfectly safe and actually runs faster than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. You can even choose not to use it as your default browser; handy for if you’re just going to use it for the express purpose of importing your photos from Facebook to Google Plus.

Once you have the Chrome browser open, visit this link: GOOGLE CHROME APPS and install the free plugin. As soon as the plugin has installed (in a matter of seconds), click the orange ‘bus’ icon on the top right of the toolbar. You’ll be asked to enter your login details to allow the page to access your Facebook account photos, then on the next page you choose the photos you want to copy across to Google Picassa. By default all are selected and then when you’re happy with the selection, click the “IMPORT” button at the bottom and away they go, with a useful counter showing you the progress.

Obviously, all your captions and comments won’t be there, but if you’re looking for a hassle-free transfer, then this is for you.

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ICP Publicidad Nueva En Alhaurín TV – Mayo 2011

Posted on Tuesday, 31st May 2011 by Christopher Russell Goodall

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Playstation Store Fully Restored This Week – So We Are Promised!

Posted on Tuesday, 31st May 2011 by Christopher Russell Goodall
Playstation Store Logo
Playstation Store
According to the Official Sony Playstation Blog for Europe, the Playstation Store is to be fully restored by the end of this week (the beginning of June 2011).


This means that we frustrated users will finally be able to redeem voucher codes, download DLC content such as new songs from Singstar and Rock Band and the like.
The Blog states that the full restoration of PlayStation Network as well as part of services to become available on Qriocity will include:


• Full functionality on PlayStation®Store
• In-game commerce
• Ability to redeem vouchers and codes
• Full functionality on Music Unlimited for PS3, PSP, VAIO and other PCs
• Full functionality on Media Go


We also have the “Welcome Back” package to look forward to, which will give us the option to download 2 PS3 games and 2 PSP games, both at no cost to us along with a months free membership to the PSN Plus. Obviously, this is only for clients who had a PSN account before the notorious hacking attack.

For more details, please visit the full post at: PLAYSTATION BLOG EUROPE
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