The Gibraltar Catering Association have met following the Government’s Budget release.

A statement from the GCA follows below:

Small business needs support and there is no support in this budget.

• Departmental Fee increase despite us requesting many times for employment fees to be removed and after Govt reporting a £4m excess v estimate to departmental and receipts figures
• Social Insurance Increase
• Increase on Electricity and Water
• Increase on Corporation Tax which again will not affect some larger much more profitable industries who are given special exemptions. 

In the main, how can HMGOG possibly justify increasing costs to our local business community when we have no treaty agreement in place, no private rent control, reduced tourism footfall that uses our hospitality and hotel stays.  Our visiting cruise ship passengers use the tourist points mentioned in the performance figures, our non resident air passengers mainly cross into Spain.

We are in the most uncertain times we have experienced in decades.  We call upon the Government to introduce a series of support measures to the industry, until the treaty agreement is resolved and healthy trading levels restored to the tourist sector.