2. Deductible concepts and basis of deduction
Regulations: See arts. 17 and 18 of Law 49/2002, of December 23, on the tax regime of non-profit entities and tax incentives for patronage
Donations, gifts, and contributions of an irrevocable, pure and simple nature will be eligible for deduction, that is, those that do not represent a present or future consideration for a good or service for the donor. According to the above, the types of donations that entitle to the deduction and the basis thereof are the following:
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Monetary donations . The basis for the deduction is the amount of the donation.
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Donations or gifts of goods or rights. The basis for the deduction will be the book value of the aforementioned assets or rights at the time of their transfer and, failing that, the value determined in accordance with the rules of the Wealth Tax.
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Membership fees to associations other than political parties that do not correspond to the right to receive a present or future benefit. The basis for the deduction is the amount of the installments.
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Constitution of the real right of usufruct over goods, rights or securities, carried out without compensation. In these cases, the deduction base will consist of:
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Usufruct over real estate. 2% of the cadastral value of the property for each year of duration of the usufruct, determined proportionally to the number of days corresponding to each tax period.
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Usufruct over securities. The annual amount of dividends or interest received by the usufructuary in each of the tax periods of duration of the usufruct.
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Usufruct over other assets or rights. The annual amount resulting from applying the legal interest on money in each financial year to the value of the usufruct at the time of its creation in accordance with the regulations of the Tax on Property Transfers and Documented Legal Acts.
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Donations or gifts of goods that form part of the Spanish Historical Heritage or of cultural assets of guaranteed quality . In both cases, the basis for the deduction will be the assessment carried out for this purpose by the Qualification, Valuation and Export Board.
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As of January 1, 2024, the transfer of use of a movable or immovable property , for a specified period, carried out without consideration .
The deduction base will consist of the amount of expenses incurred by the transferor in relation to such assets during the transfer period, provided that they were considered tax-deductible expenses if they were transferred for consideration and are duly accounted for when the transferor is required to keep accounting records in accordance with the Commercial Code or equivalent legislation.
In no case will taxes or interest on foreign capital invested in the acquisition or improvement of the property and other financing costs form part of the basis for the deduction.
The value determined in accordance with the above rules has as its maximum limit the normal market value of the asset or right transferred at the time of its transfer.
Note: Article 23.1 of Law 49/2002 states that capital gains and positive income arising from donations, gifts and contributions referred to in Article 17 of the same Law will be exempt from the Personal Income Tax that taxes the income of the donor or contributor.
Special rule: right to deduction in the case of purely symbolic consideration
As a new feature for this fiscal year, article 17.2 of Law 49/2022 establishes that donations, gifts and contributions will also be eligible for deduction even when the donor or contributor may receive goods or services of a symbolic nature, delivered or provided by the donee or beneficiary, provided that the value of the goods and services received:
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does not represent more than 15 100% of the value of the donation, gift or contribution, and
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does not exceed the amount of 25,000 euros.
The aim of this is to ensure that the irrevocable, pure and simple nature of donations, gifts and contributions is not lost, generating the right to deduction, in those cases in which the donor could receive an honorary mention or reputational recognition, simply due to his status as a donor, provided that such mention or recognition lacks economic relevance, such that it cannot be considered consideration for the purposes of the right to deduction.
In order to specify which goods and services received by the donor from the donee lack economic relevance, avoiding the donation from acquiring an onerous character, not pursued by the legislator, the amount that the donor could receive is limited to 15 100% of the value of the donation, gift or contribution made, and in any case a maximum limit of 25,000 euros is established.
Note: As a general rule, only donations, gifts and contributions of an irrevocable, pure and simple nature, that is, those made by the donor free of charge and without compensation, are eligible for deduction.
However, this rule will be extended from January 1, 2024, to donations in which the consideration is merely symbolic. In such cases, the right to a deduction will also be generated provided that:
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the value of the consideration received does not represent more than 15 100% of the value of the donation, gift or contribution made, and
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with a maximum limit of 25,000 euros.