09/02/2001 00:00
TW
0

Dear Sir, two recent items in the Daily Bulletin show that the free and open market principals enshrined in the European Union are being ignored.
Last Saturday an article referred to discussions to reduce the number of taxis at the airport. Discussions with whom and for whose benefit? In neither case is the answer the consumer. If there are too many cabs the economic laws of supply and demand will achieve any reduction necessary. The article also committed a Mendelssohn ‘untruth' implying that the council was improving the lot of the passenger by ruling that cabbies accept whoever is first in the rank rather than cherry picking for the long journey. Let me tell the council something I think they know but turn a blind eye to – cabbies are already obliged to take the first in line to wherever they want, be it two kilometres to Coll d'en Rebassa or 80 kilometres to Capdepera.

The Palma city council seems to have a blind spot over the airport. They introduced an excellent bus service passing through Can Pastilla then cut it out because it was being over used! Now despite a regular increase in passengers taxi capacity is also to be reduced.

The second item came yesterday (Tuesday) and has a much wider significance.
According to the letter of G C Fairey, Spain has imposed limits on the export of cigarettes to countries within the European Union. This is not contraband traffic but cigarettes purchased normally in regular shops at the regular price. It raises a number of points of principal. Does it apply to all nationalities, residents or non resident leaving Spain? Does it depend on the destination country? What other products and quantities does it apply to on the way out e.g. a maximum of 2 kilos of spring potatoes from Sa Pobla? What products and quantities apply on the way in – no more than 3 items of practical underwear from Marks & Sparks?

Joking aside this is a serious limitation on my understanding of EU accords and is in direct conflict with one of the main reasons for setting it up. I think the Daily Bulletin should ask the Aduana for their comments and publish them or any lack of response in a coming edition. I can't recall ever reading a local official or politician's reply to a “Letter to the Editor”.

Mike Lillico
Playa de Palma