Did you know that on the roof of El Palace Barcelona Hotel, or rather on its terrace, they show cool movies? You can watch a movie here with popcorn and a cocktail 🎟🍸🍿

You can sit on a double bench for two or on a chaise lounge alone. Movies are shown in the original version with Spanish subnoscripts. You can bring a child, but they need a ticket and the cocktail that comes with the ticket can be exchanged for another drink.

Here’s you can see the schedule, buy tickets and find all the other info you need. This week it’s «Breakfast at Tiffany’s», «Mamma Mia», «The Parent Trap» and «Casino Royale.»

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5 convenient ways to pay less tax in Spain

The Spanish tax system seems complicated even for Spaniards, let alone foreigners who are not fluent in Spanish.

For self-employed Spaniards, known as autónomos, the quarterly payment of tax returns (and its preparation) can not only be costly, but can also come as a shock.

There are a number of relatively simple ways to pay less tax, whether you are self-employed, just living in Spain or you are a sole proprietor.

Investing in pension plans
One way to save on tax and save for the future at the same time is by investing in pension plans or, if you are already doing so, increasing your contributions. This is because pension plans are taxed differently, and most pension plans allow you to deduct income tax (called IRPF in Spain).

Therefore, the money you invest can be deducted from your tax base and saved. In addition, IRPF is a progressive tax. Therefore, those with higher incomes save more in retirement plan deductions.

Take advantage of regional deductions
The regions of the country not only differ in languages and traditions, but also in tax regimes. Many regions offer a variety of possible IRPF deductions, ranging from child care and education expenses to rent and transportation costs. Details on regional tax deductions can be found on the IRS website.

For family reasons
If you have had a child, divorced or something serious has happened to your health, be sure to inform your employer and the tax office of the changes, as income and deduction requirements. There are many tax benefits for single parents or custodial parents.

Receiving a portion of your paycheck in the form of nontaxable benefits
You can deduct a portion of your paycheck in the form of benefits. If you have to renegotiate your salary or change companies, many companies offer certain tax-free perks (like gym membership or travel cards), meaning your paycheck won't be taxed but will go directly to these perks.

Wait to sell your home until you reach age 65
If you are approaching the age of 65 and are thinking of selling your house, it is better to wait and then the transaction will not be taxable.
If the house is in the name of both the spouses, then both of them should be above 65 years of age, as otherwise only the relevant gain of the spouse who has attained that age is exempted. The tax exemption can be applied even if it's a second home you don't live in.

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A summer plan for another summer day ✨

La Roca Village is hosting «Streets of Love,» an open-air street art exhibition. The works by artist TVBOY are dedicated to eternal themes, and you can look at them while relaxedly wandering around the village. Sounds great, I think. You can also shop here, there are plenty of brand name stores with clothing and jewelry. Or sit on the terrace of a restaurant.

📍 La Roca Village s/n, 08430 Santa Agnès de Malanyanes

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#locations

The rubric «interesting facts about places in the city»

Barcelona sells sunglasses that were invented by a NASA optical engineer. To create the glasses, he used the same technology that NASA used to protect satellites from the sun’s rays. The company Revo is now 37 years old, they only recently opened a physical store in Spain.

📍Baixada de la Llibreteria, 10

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5 convenient ways to pay less tax in Spain. Part two, part one is here 💶

Deductions for the self-employed
Self-employment has its disadvantages (endless bureaucracy and monthly fees), but there are also pros. For example, a long list of deductions, including for rent.

Foreigners in Spain are advised to get a gester — a kind of accountant and intermediary between you and the administrative authorities. He will help you deduct part of your rent, utilities (electricity, Wi-Fi, even new office equipment), help with administrative difficulties and language.

Paying taxes quarterly may seem like a large amount to pay all at once, but effectively utilizing all possible deductions can help you save money.

Donations
Another way to reduce your tax payments is to make donations, whether to charities, NGOs or non-profit organizations. In Spain, this kind of donation has income tax benefits, as up to 80% of the first 150€ is deductible.

After that, the deduction is 35% on anything above that amount. In addition, in the 4th year, when donations are made to the same organization and the amount is equal to or greater than the previous year, the percentage rises to 40%.

Housing Deductions
The housing deduction is not simple — the self-employed deduct a portion of their rent on their tax return. It applies to properties bought before 2013, deducting 15% of the amount paid up to a maximum of €9,040.

This amount is doubled if the property was bought for a couple and declared separately.

On the other hand, for properties purchased after 2013, deductions are possible for energy efficiency works if certain requirements are met, saving on air conditioning or heating costs.

Deductions for entrepreneurs and startups
There are deductions for entrepreneurs and startup investments (called the «RDI deduction»), incentives for reinvesting profits, and deductions for hiring staff if you are launching a startup.

Pay less property tax
Property tax in Spain (IBI) can vary from municipality to municipality, but there are ways to reduce your property tax bill.

In many cases, there is a discrepancy between the value assigned to your property by the local tax authorities and its actual value.

Using your cadastral number (20 digits), you can personally check with your local municipality or government website to see if your property is overvalued and if you qualify to pay less IBI tax.

@settleitbcn

#money

We recently wrote about Eventbride, which collects your potential plans for the evening 🪩

Recently found another service like this. Fever is also where you can find some sort of leisure, entertainment, dinner option. I mean cool stuff in different formats! We've encountered a pool party, outdoor movies, classical music concerts and boat rides there. Love it! It's also convenient that the event is immediately visible in the calendar, there are detailed conditions, price and time, and you can buy a ticket right away.

📎 https://feverup.com/es/barcelona

@settleitbcn

#events

Today another vintage and high responsibility project

Beyondwear is serious about clothing and fabrics: recycling, showing the other side of textile production, giving clothes a second chance and giving jobs to those who need them most. So it's not just a store with vintage clothing, but a cool community.

📍Carrer de Puigmartí, 28

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Apps have been our assistants for a long time — in a couple of clicks we can transfer money, plot a route and contact our relatives. Why not use them to their full potential? So you don’t get lost in an unfamiliar city and find cool discounts.

We have special tags for apps and digital helpers. There’s a lot of cool stuff out there, with links and denoscriptions. Today’s app and service is going to be about food.

Eatwith (you may know it as VizEat) is a place for travel and food lovers. It collects dinners, food tours, and cooking workshops hand-picked by locals in over 130 countries. They’re hosted by locals, too!

For example, if you’re in Madrid, you can eat the best paella here at Marco’s. You can ask the host over dinner about his favorite places in the city, culture and shoot the recipe.

You can become a host or a guest. It works like this: choose a destination or use your current location > see the hosts, study their profile > write to the one you like and choose dates. Works in Paris, Rome, New York, Barcelona and other cities.

There’s an iOS app / website

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#apps

Forced overnight stay at the airport or a long layover is a big stress for travelers all over the world 🌐

It's like a topic you can talk to every person about and you'll be understood. That's why they've dedicated an entire website to sleeping in airports.

The Sleeping in Airports guide is based on the real experiences of those who have experienced it. It will tell you about the best and worst airports, show you hotels, lounges, possible activities to pass the time, tell you how to get the best seats to fall asleep.

The instructions are simple: enter the name of the airport or city, it gives you information about wifi, airport hotels, showers, lounges, terminals and everything else. It also tells you where to charge your phone, how to get to the city and where to leave your luggage.

❤️ Have you ever spent the night at the airport? Tell us about your best or worst overnight stay and how you survived it (or what made it the best).

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Vintage is about atmospheric places, unusual things and the chance to find yourself an interesting vest or buy something for a friend

We are slowly building up a small vintage collection. We haven't told you about Humana yet, it's time.

They are not only about clothes, they are involved in sustainability, supporting local initiatives and even agriculture. However, let's talk vintage! There are tons of them around the city, you can find shoes or accessories, a jacket or a dress there. Better start with the branches in Eixample or El Raval. Those who make a donation get a 10% discount.

📍Link to one of the locations. There's a full list of addresses on the website.

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#things #locations

Let's look into the future! Barcelona's events and important dates in September and October🍁

MotoGP de Catalunya / September 1-3
The Catalan stop at the world-famous MotoGP circuit is an important date on the calendar for motorsport fans.

Día de Catalunya // September 11
National Day of Catalonia.

Festa della Mercè // Starting on September 24
The most important event on Barcelona's calendar for September is the celebration of the annual La Mercè festival with concerts, fireworks, parades, food and drink and more.

Oktoberfest Barcelona // October 4 through October 15
Who says Oktoberfest is only held in Munich? Barcelona pays homage to the world's biggest party with its huge mugs of beer, schnitzel, pretzels and rowdy tables singing along to traditional bands. And all on Montjuïc Mountain.

Cursa Bombers Barcelona // October 22
The city's most popular 10km race is the Cursa Bombers, named after the city's firefighters who organized the event. With over 15,000 participants, it has become one of the greatest events of the year in Barcelona.

Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival // October 16 to December 27
The International Jazz Festival in Barcelona attracts jazz bands to one place. It's nowhere without jazz fans, of course.

Castanyada / October 31 and November 1
A folk festival celebrated throughout Catalonia on All Saints' Day and the day before. During it, it is customary to eat roasted chestnuts, potatoes and panelettes.

Do you have important plans for this time?

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#events

Happy Monday afternoon! Shall we start it with some news?

The Gabriel Garcia Marquez Library in Barcelona has been named the best new public library in the world.

There is a possibility that Portugal and Spain will soon be connected by Renfe high-speed trains. Before that, however, the company will need to adapt some of its rolling stock to the new Portuguese infrastructure.

The city has a new record: foreigners now make up 23.6% of Barcelona's population. That's up 7.8% from the previous year.

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#news