Spain to provide tax-free Covid-19 tests and vaccines

Spanish Finance Minister Maria Jesus Montero said that the nation will abolish the VAT on the sale of Covid-19 vaccines and tests until the end of 2022, following newly-reached European Union agreements

Madrid:Spain will abolish the value-added tax (VAT) on the sale of Covid-19 vaccines and tests until the end of 2022, following newly-reached European Union agreements, Finance Minister Maria Jesus Montero said.

In Spain, Covid-19 vaccinations will be free for citizens and administered by the public health system, Montero, who is also the government spokesperson, told reporters on Wednesday after the weekly cabinet meeting.

The decision, she explained, is in line with EU guidelines issued on Monday requiring members states to modify VAT rates to zero or reduce the rates "temporarily", reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Salvador Illa announced that Spain will kick off vaccination in January 2021, aiming to cover a large percentage of the population by May.

The developments come as Spain has so far registered 1,712,101 confirmed coronavirus cases and 47,019 deaths.

IANS

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