The sole trader

IF Spain is ever to recover its economic bounce then it will need its small business-people. Yes, you know the sole trade who decided to put their savings on the line because they believe in their business venture. But rather than helping small businesses the Spanish government appears to be doing their best to tax these people to the bone.  Case in point is longtime British resident Chrissy Perry, who decided to start her own company, Patient QI, an online medical information service. She soon discovered that her sole trader licence (autonomo) from the government would costs 256 euros a month. In Britain the same licences costs just 13 euros. Now her company is online and therefore the tax situation is complicated so she will have to pay an accountant in excess of 3,500 euros  a year  just to do her returns. And the metre is still running with other costs such as rent, telephone bills etc.  Chrissy says that it would be much cheaper and easier to start the company in Britain but she underlines the fact that Majorca is her home and she doesn´t want to return to Britain. And she shouldn´t have to. The Spanish government should welcome sole traders with open arms especially in these hard times when unemployment stands at a record 4.5 million people.  The red tape is killing small business in Spain and British business owners simply can´t afford the cost. It is a sad state of affairs and until this situation is resolved, Spain will continue to suffer.