Unexpected tribute to Ximo Puig and his PSPV circle, the Circus of the Sun returns to the spotlight in Alicante as seasoned tightrope performers make their premiere. The moment is charged, not merely by their balance on a wire, but by the unpredictable politics around a controversial tourist tax that is up for parliamentary vote tomorrow. A coincidence seems to thread together theater and policy, as the city watches how spectacle mirrors the state.
I admit the climate around Ana Barceló has been tense. The socialist representative faces a long maze of procedures that some once called the world’s greatest show. There are days when she appears to don the hat of an illusionist, letting a party line slip behind a flourish of scarves, while a higher authority answers with a terse, “deals must be fulfilled.” The question lands squarely: who is making the deals? The reply comes from Francesc Colomer, who, when the rebel persona looms, speaks with the calm of a strategist about to step into the canyon. The memory of a 2016 pledge—there would be no taxes in 2017 or the future—lapses into the air, only to be questioned again as Barceló proceeds with a balancing act of yes, then no, then yes again. It feels almost like doublethink, a term once tied to a certain kind of political theater. By day’s end, the PSPV board faces a flurry of facts that seem Houdini-worthy, as journalists press for transparency. The vote tomorrow may reveal what this all means, and there’s a risk that the political trapeze could become a deadly trio of missteps, much to the concern of onlookers who remember how risk has defined leadership in crisis times. Yet Ana remains a veteran of risky moments, and the worst of the pandemic proved she could handle pressure—numbers that mattered when the world paused.
The public tone is clear: the president does not want the tax, and he seems to be looking for any way out, even as inflation roars as a fourth horseman in the political tale. An apparent agreement with partners is weighed against repeated refusals to embrace the tax, especially when the tourism sector speaks with one voice, often in its own chambers. The sense that a compromise might exist lingers, even if it’s hard to pin down. Monday’s meeting of Botànic’s board with the Federation of Municipalities and Provinces showed mayors pushing back, a large portion of the socialist ranks among them. The damage of a tax that marks a tourist municipality cannot be undone merely by later rescission. Once it appears online, the effect is hard to erase, a modern reminder that digital visibility can trap local economies in a web of perception. The moment calls for a careful, honest accounting of trade-offs.
Another thread in this unfolding narrative is the practical impact on residents. The modern city has digitized life to such a degree that it comes with a price tag for the vulnerable. In Alicante, more than nine thousand people are described as experiencing complete financial exclusion because their municipality lacks an ATM or bank. This creates a twofold hardship: daily transactions become harder and the social fabric tightens around a subset of the population. Efforts by the Generalitat to install ATMs at underserved locations aim to unlock a small measure of financial inclusion for tens of thousands who would otherwise be cut off from basic services. In many municipalities across the province, benches outnumber banks, and residents find themselves navigating a landscape where accessibility defines the terms of daily life.
And yet there is a spine of resilience in these towns. The current debate over a tax is not just numbers and policy; it is a test of governance, of how leaders balance fiscal needs with the lived realities of citizens and visitors alike. The day-to-day decisions ripple outward, shaping travel experiences, the viability of small businesses, and the perceived health of the regional economy. In Alicante, the forthcoming parliamentary vote will do more than decide a levy; it will reveal the contours of political will, the clarity of communication, and the willingness to shoulder shared responsibilities that affect everyone who steps into the streets, the shops, and the waiting rooms of the city.
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