YOUR LETTERS

THE GREAT PRICE DEBATE

I believe that the great “price debate” needs some objective facts to understand what is really going on. It is easy for someone from the UK to witness far higher prices in property, cars, food shopping, telephone and internet charges, taxi fares, bar prices, restaurant prices and so on. So if we find it expensive, how do the Spanish find it – see official report below:- The average salary in Spain is 34% lower than in the rest of the EU according to a study published by Adecco and IESE.
The report shows that the average gross salary in the EU was 32'414 euros while in Spain it was 21'402 euros. Furthermore, it shows that in countries like Denmark, the UK or Germany that the average salary was over 40'000 euros a year compared to the average salary in Eastern European countries where it didn't reach 10'000 euros.

Furthermore, the study underlined the fact that the difference between Spain and the rest of the EU has been increasing over recent years.
Between 2004 and 2008 the average salary in the EU increased in real terms by 3.9% while in Spain it only went up by 1.3%.
By sectors the highest average salaries are found in the banking, insurance and finance sectors at around 50'186 euros a year (gross) compared to the hotel and restaurant sector where the average salary was found to be 21'461 euros. Spain shows the same tendency with average salaries in the finance sector at 40'012 euros and average salaries in the hotel sector at 15'164 euros.

The study also shows that while Spain created 90% of the employment generated in the whole EU in 2003 this figure now stands at just 2%. This not enough to cover the increase in the active population (3.1%) which has resulted in unemployment going up by 35.3% - by far the biggest increase out of all the countries analyzed in the study.

Mark Masters

Andratx

Dear sir,

PRICES

I have been holidaying on Majorca with my family 4 times a year for the last 20 years and we have our own apartment so are very lucky. I have followed the Bulletin letters about prices and have kept silent up to now.

Here is my own thoughts, most budgets are catered for in and around the Palmanova/Magalluf area: beer from 80 cents a pint between 5pm and 9pm at a certain bar is a bargain by any standards; a main bar in Magalluf charges €3.50 for the same lager, coffee €1.20 at little Spanish bars and €1.80 in some other bars; gin and tonic €2.80 at a well known Palmanova bar and the same €5 at an English run Magalluf bar. I was charged €4 for a pint of coke with ice at a well known English run restaurant and when we removed the ice it was barely half a pint so like I said originally all budgets catered for. What us tourists should be doing is paying with our feet if its good and cheap and tell everyone if it's not don't use them again. Let the expensive ones go bust and support the ones that give great value.

Yours

M Frost