The Spanish Minister of Finance and Public Function, María Jesús Montero, announced that the Government will extend the super-reduced VAT rate of 4% on disposable surgical masks during the first half of 2022.
The measure, which will be approved in the coming weeks by the Council of Ministers, is adopted in light of the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The goal is "to keep this product accessible to as many citizens as possible," the Spanish government said in a statement.
The Spanish Government approved on 17 November 2020 a Real Decree that, among other measures, lowered the VAT on disposable surgical masks from 21% to 4% until 31 December 2021.
Now, this super-reduced tax, one of the lowest in the EU, will be extended to 2022.
0% rate
Minister Montero has said during her participation in the Senate in the debate on vetoes to the draft Budget 2022, that the Government will also expand during the first half of next year the application of the 0% VAT rate to the importation of sanitary material to combat Covid-19 acquired by public administrations, health centers and social entities.
The extension of this measure, which is currently scheduled to end on 31 December, will be approved after the European Commission issues its decision, which is expected in a few weeks.
Spain was one of the first EU countries to apply this measure authorized by the European Commission in April 2020.
