OPINION: ‘Spain’s Bizum crackdown is another trap for the self-employed – get off our backs!’

When I became autonomo this year, I asked my gestor if I could claim my car as an expense – given that it costs over €300 per month and I use it mostly for work.

‘Don’t bother, it’s not worth them catching you out,’ he scoffed, ‘they are robbing b*****ds who look for any reason to fine you, and you will have to account for every kilometre.’

I initially thought he probably couldn’t be bothered to do the extra accounting, but after six months of being self-employed, I realise he wasn’t exaggerating.

Following recent policy announcements from Pedro Sanchez’s government, you’d be forgiven for thinking there is an all out assault on autonomos, or some sort of plan to drive us all to the brink.

First, we were told that our monthly social security contributions would be increasing next year – with most already paying around €300 per month just for the right to work as a freelancer. This was mostly walked back after public outcry.

Then, we were told that we would have to use the new Verifactu invoicing system in 2026 (which has also since been pushed back a year after significant backlash).

Now, the newest layer of scrutiny is that Bizum payments will be tracked, flagged and cross-checked by the taxman from January 1, 2026.

It’s all billed as making the system ‘more transparent’, but what it really means is more chances for the Hacienda to catch you out on a technicality.

From next year, the tax office will be able to monitor every Bizum and every card payment received by the self-employed, with no minimum threshold (previously set at €3,000).

It means every payment counts, no matter how small, and must be accounted for.

Bizum started as a convenience, a quick and easy way to send someone a tenner for petrol or to split a restaurant bill.

But in the eyes of Hacienda, it now appears to be a potential instrument of mass tax evasion.

Of course, if you’re a freelancer, you already know the routine. Every euro you earn must be justified, invoiced, logged, filed and declared.

Now those tiny Bizum payments could become ammunition for an inspector looking for discrepancies.

No one denies the importance of paying tax, but why does it feel like there is an assumption of guilt built into every new measure?

I wouldn’t be surprised if they saw a €12 transfer from a client for a last-minute job as a sign of deep, systemic fraud.

The truth is the Hacienda doesn’t need to find a crime to cause you serious grief – and a hefty fine – but just an inconsistency, like a mismatched number or mistyped figure.

Autonomos keep this country moving and we pay extortionate social security fees, file ridiculous quarterly taxes and comply with some of the most complex fiscal rules in Europe.

What we don’t need is a tax authority acting like we’re one Bizum away from a criminal record – it’s time they got off our backs and let us actually get a company off the ground.