Meetings to make known the tax advantages in Gran Canaria to expatriates

Within the framework of the Best in Gran Canaria initiative, we held a gathering with expatriates who live on the island, and with those who had just arrived, to tell them about the tax advantages available in Gran Canaria.

This was the first of a series of gatherings that came about due to many expatriates and remote workers saying that they knew little about about the tax system in Spain and the Canary Islands.

During the event, Eduardo Sánchez Iglesias addressed the following points:

  1. Introduction to the special tax system in the Canary Island: ZEC and others.
  2. Establish your activity in Gran Canaria: should you start as a freelancer or company?
  3. Working from Gran Canaria with your company registered in another country: What should you know?
  4. The cost of being an Autonomo (freelancer) in Gran Canaria.
  5. Invoicing correctly. IGIC for clients in the Canary Island, Europe and other countries.
  6. Expenses you can write o as an Autonomo (freelancer).
  7. Diference between corporate taxes and personal taxes.

The Agency for the Economic Development of Gran Canaria (SPEGC) provides financial and consulting support to entrepreneurs and investors based in Gran Canaria.

by Comunicación

Talento Gran Canaria gathers in Barcelona 60 professionals "proud" of the level of qualification of people from Gran Canaria

The initiative Talento Gran Canaria brought together in Barcelona 60 people from Gran Canaria who reside in the city and who were able to get to know each other and connect professionally in a relaxed environment at the 4th Afterwork gathering organised by the Gran Canaria Island Council (Cabildo) through the Corporation for the Economic Development of Gran Canaria (SPEGC).

Though many people from Gran Canaria work in Barcelona, most of those who attended had never met but many were "proud" of the fact that "there is so much talent from the island" in this city, where people such as Raúl Cabrera, in charge of the VIP areas and special clients of FC Barcelona, among others, works.

For Raúl it is "fabulous" to meet people who have moved away from the island and from such a wide variety of industries: A/V, telecommunications, law, banking, renewable energy and even health, represented by professionals such as Raúl himself, or Pedro Padrón, who has been in Barcelona for just over two years, and who is currently working as purchasing engineer for SEAT.

“When you meet other people from Gran Canaria you feel quite a strong bond”, according to Pedro, who was also able to meet, among those from Gran Canaria, possible future suppliers for the automotive company for which he works.

In this sense, the gathering, which had high female representation, met the expectations of the Cabildo and managed to connect very diverse profiles opening up the possibility for establishing future professional relationships.

Most of the professionals who attended the event in Barcelona left the island years ago to study or to work. Many hold positions and do work that cannot be easily found on the island, which means that despite "itching to return" they are not considering doing so in the short term.

This is the case with Taida Martínez, producer for Gestmusic Endemol, who after 18 years in Barcelona and having worked on programmes such as Boom, Tu cara me suena and Ahora caigo, is currently deeply involved in preparing the next edition of the programme Operación Triunfo. Despite the temptation, on various occasions, to look for professional opportunities in Gran Canaria, Taida says she will not make that move until she finds something "creatively and financially" similar to what she is presently doing in Barcelona.

Of the same opinion is María José Rodríguez, who has been living in the Catalan capital since 2010 and has been working in the communications and public relations department at Atrápalo since 2015: "I still want to continue growing professionally and the island for the moment does not offer this possibility", she explained, although convinced that "in a few years" she would again be able to "enjoy" Canteras beach.

Regardless of whether or not they want to return to the island, rendezvous such as this afterwork gathering do not just give rise to professional opportunities among the members of the network; they also bring about business opportunities in Gran Canaria, which also gives meaning to such events, aiming to encourage the exchange of experiences, contacts and synergies among people from Gran Canaria.

Rendezvous such as this are linked to the Uvas de Talento gatherings, which the SPEGC holds at its facilities in December, when people from Gran Canaria return to the island for Christmas, the purpose of which is to make known the view that professionals who work outside Gran Canaria have of the island.

by Comunicación

The capital of Gran Canaria will host the Canary Islands Digital Laboratory of the Future

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria will host the Canary Islands Digital Laboratory of the Future, thanks to a 200,000 Euro grant awarded to the London School of Economics Enterprise by the Government of the Canary Islands, and to the support of the Gran Canaria Island Council (Cabildo) through the Corporation for the Economic Development of Gran Canaria (SPEGC) and the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council.

The main mission of this Laboratory will be to identify, pilot and put into practice intelligent solutions in the digital domain for the islands, in cooperation with partners and local and international suppliers.

In that regard, the grant is aimed at funding part of its creation and launch, within the framework of the Operating Strategy for Internationalisation of the Canary Economy, the main objectives of which are attracting investment to the Canary Islands in the digital sphere, cooperation in the creation of a Canary digital agenda and promoting internationally the "Canary Islands" brand within digital innovation.

Through this grant, the London School of Economics, one of the world's most prestigious centres for business, applied research and personalised programmes, will incentivise the creation of skilled jobs and economic activity.

Although the headquarters of this Canary Islands Digital Laboratory of the Future will be established in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the activities of this strategic project will cover the entire archipelago.

by Comunicación

Over 500 researchers debate in Gran Canaria about aquaculture as an alternative to food supply for the future

Over 500 researchers from 43 countries are participating this week in the International Symposium on Fish Nutrition and Feeding being held in Gran Canaria to study the role of aquaculture in the future of food for human consumption. The fact it is being held in Gran Canaria "confirms the commitment and work carried out by the Gran Canaria Island Council (Cabildo) in this field", according to the President of the Cabildo, who highlighted that in the Canary Islands alone there is currently only 10% of the fish that existed 50 years ago, "so we have to find alternatives".

The world population is increasing year by year, threatening to exceed 7.5 billion people in 2020 and, at the same time, marine resources are becoming increasingly scarce, so the need to produce alternative foods is on the rise in a future in which aquaculture will play a crucial role in guaranteeing the production of aquatic species.

The director of the ECOAQUA Institute at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and organiser of this conference, Marisol Izquierdo, confirmed that aquaculture "is probably the fastest growing food production industry today", as it is currently producing 50% of the fish for human consumption globally, at just over 110 million tonnes.

In this respect, the conference launched this morning falls within the strategy of the Cabildoof diversifying the island's economy, one of the pillars of which is the blue biotechnology being developed by this institution through the Bioasis initiative, the Blue Biotechnology Platform and Aquaculture. Bioasis, which in addition to the Cabildo,has the participation of the Government of the Canary Islands and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, through the Corporation for the Economic Development of Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands Technology Institute, the Ecoaqua University Institute and the Spanish Algae Bank, "defends blue biotechnology as a proposal for the future for the island", the president explained.

Bioasis Gran Canaria will be present at this conference organised by the Aquaculture Research Group from the ECOAQUA Institute and the ISFNF Scientific Committee, to show Gran Canaria to the international experts, "as one of the places in Europe with the best environmental, research and business conditions to develop aquaculture and biotechnology", according to Antonio Morales.

This forum, held biannually for the last 40 years and which is being held on the island for the second time, is a meeting point for researchers currently working in the production of high quality aquatic food for the consumer, to whom it will reveal the latest developments in the industry. The programme with 100 presentations, 300 posters and various conferences and lectures, will go into detail about the raw materials used in the fish and crustacean aquaculture diets, the intersection between genetics and nutrition and the practical applications of nutrition research.

by Comunicación