Tagged spain.

3 stories in the archive.

25 Aug 2026

Illustration of a coffee cup and a saucer holding coins and a banknote on a table beside a sunlit window and a plant

Tips and service charges: the UK rules, and how Spain differs

Since 1 October 2024 a UK employer must pass on all tips and service charges, with a written policy and three years of records. Spain has no equivalent law: tips are voluntary, taxed as pay, and mostly governed by your collective agreement.

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Francesco Boffa

17 Aug 2026

Illustration of a card terminal on a counter beside stacks of coins, with a wedge cut out of one coin

payments

What card payments really cost a UK or Spanish venue

Interchange is capped for consumer cards in both the UK and Spain, but your bill is interchange plus scheme fees plus your provider's margin. Here is how the pieces fit, where the caps stop, and what to ask for when you compare quotes.

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Carlos Butler

6 Jul 2026

Overhead illustration of a table split into a grey, rainy half and a warm, sunlit half, with a stack of coins and a blank receipt on each side and a cup of coffee in the middle

operations

What it costs to run a restaurant in the UK and in Spain in 2026

The tax and labour rules differ more than the headline numbers suggest: Spain charges 10% VAT on restaurant meals but loads employer contributions at around 30%, while the UK charges 20% VAT and a 15% employer NI. Here is what can be compared fairly, and what cannot.

TB

Tom Beckett

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