Benidorm opens on Tuesday, March 2, the period to request the ‘Parenthesis Grants’, aimed at sectors affected by the pandemic

Benidorm City Council opens next Tuesday, March 2, the deadline to request the 'Parenthesis Grants', aimed at self-employed, mutualists and small companies with up to 10 employees from a series of sectors hit by the economic crisis derived from the pandemic and that have their fiscal domicile in the city. This has been announced today by the mayor, Toni Pérez, after the Official Gazette of the Province (BOP) has published the bases for these grants, approved on Friday by the Local Government Board (JGL).

Toni Pérez recalled that these grants are framed within the so-called ‘Plan Resistir’ and are financed by the City Councils, Provincial Councils and the Generalitat; and "its processing" is the responsibility of local entities. For this reason, "from the government team a draft of the bases was prepared that was opened to be dicussed by all the groups of the Corporation and also by trade unions of the Valencian Community". After this "process of dialogue and agreement", the final text was approved in which the requirements and procedure to qualify for these ‘Parenthesis Grants’ are set out; some bases that can be consulted on the municipal website www.benidorm.org.

Toni Pérez has pointed out that the sectors to which these benefits are intended "have been set by the Generalitat Valenciana", so "we could well say that they are all that are, but not all that are." He also recalled that "Benidorm has an economic endowment of around 5.2 million euros, of which the City Council contributes about 790,000".

"We are, therefore and effectively -he added-, the fifth city with the largest endowment in the Valencian Community, above towns that surpass us in population", due "to the numbers that Benidorm presents in volume and economic generation" in the sectors and activities indicated in these 'Parenthesis Grants'; and by having "an important business and commercial fabric, a large service sector and the most powerful tourist industry concentrated throughout the Valencian territory."

The mayor recalled that these 'Parenthesis Grants provide for “benefits of 2,000 euros for each self-employed person or micro-enterprise that meets the requirements established in the bases, with improvement sections of 200 euros per employee affiliated with Social Security as of December 31, 2020 ”.

The submission of applications will be done electronically and with electronic signature through the Electronic Headquarters of the City Council (https://sede.benidorm.org) starting next Tuesday, March 2, at 09.00 hours. Toni Pérez has stressed that "a period of 5 business days has been allowed before opening the application so that companies and professionals have enough time to collect all the documentation and thus submit a single application, which is complete, avoiding thus the correction of errors and duplications ”. Applications can be submitted for 15 business days, that is, until 11:59 p.m. on March 22.

The mayor explained that "initially the granting of the aid will be made until the available credit is exhausted among the applicants who meet all the requirements", although he has advanced that "the City Council will provide the necessary amounts" to serve all the self-employed or companies who comply with the bases and are entitled to this benefit. Likewise, he has advanced that "if there is a surplus of unused resources" of the 5.2 million planned, "from the City Council it would be allocated to other activities affected by the pandemic and that are not included in this call".

Requirements to access ‘Parenthesis Grants’

To benefit from these grants, you must meet the following requirements:

1.- Being a self-employed person, a micro-company of up to 10 workers, mutualists, Communities of Assets and other entities without their own legal personality, that have their fiscal domicile in the city of Benidorm, that are registered on the date of presentation of the request and whose current business volume or annual balance sheet does not exceed 2 million euros.

2.- Develop the activity in one of the economic sectors listed in Annex I of these Terms and Conditions, according to the CNAE code.

3.- Have started their economic activity on or before December 31, 2020 and maintain it at the time of submitting the application for these grants.

4.- Having had and paid current expenses that respond in an undoubted way to the maintenance of their business, professional or commercial activity and that are strictly necessary between April 1, 2020 and today. These expenses may not have been presented to obtain and justify other public aid.

Documentation to provide:

- Identity document of the requesting person; and in the case of a legal person and other entities without legal personality, CIF issued by the Treasury.

- Updated certificate of census status from the Tax Agency, which indicates the economic activity with its registration date and the tax address, with an issue date after 12/31/2020.

- IBAN number in Annex IV or proof of receipt from the financial institution that proves ownership.

- Resolution / certification of registration in the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers or the corresponding professional Mutual.

- If the applicant person or company has workers under their charge, they must provide the Company's Work Life Report, in which the template appears as of December 31, 2020. If they are self-employed, they must present their Work Life.

- Justified list of eligible expenditure, which will be set out in Annex III.

Eligible expenses

The following are considered eligible expenses:

a) Leasing of the commercial premises.

b) Purchases of merchandise and supplies. The expenses corresponding to goods that are considered inventoried and / or amortizable, such as computer or audiovisual equipment, machinery, vehicles, facilities, etc., will not be admissible.

c) Expenses in electricity, water, gas and communications (Internet, telephone, etc.) linked to the business premises where the activity is carried out.

d) Expenses for repairs and conservation, parts, spare parts and office consumables, services of independent professionals (consultancies, agencies, computer scientists and the like), individual protection equipment, insurance premiums, advertising and propaganda directly linked to commercial activity.

e) Personnel expenses in salaries, wages and social security contributions of the individual employer or the contributions in charge of the company (employer's contribution), in case of having workers in their account.

f) Interest expenses on mortgages linked to the commercial establishment.

g) Other current expenses related to the activity.

List of activities included in the Generalitat decree by CNAE code

4781 Retail trade of food products, beverages and tobacco in stalls and markets

4782 Retail sale of textiles, clothing and footwear at stalls and markets

4789 Retail sale of other products at stalls and markets

5510 Hotels and accommodation

5520 Tourist accommodation and others

5530 Campsites and caravan parks

5590 Other accommodation

5610 Restaurants and food stands

5621 Provision of meals prepared for events

5629 Other food services

5630 Beverage establishments

5914 Film exhibition activities

7911 Travel agency activities

7912 Tour operator activities

7990 Other reservation services

8230 Organization of conventions and fairs

9001 Performing Arts

9002 Auxiliary activities to the performing arts

9003 Artistic and literary creation

9004 Show hall management

9102 Museum activities

9103 Management of historic sites and buildings

9311 Management of sports facilities

9312 Activities of sports clubs

9313 Gymnasium activities

9319 Other sporting activities

9321 Amusement park activities

9329 Other recreational and entertainment activities