Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S Youth Cultural Bonus for 2022 which provided €400 per head to invest in culture to young people who reach 18 years has distributed more than €37.5 million since it started being issued last October.
277,754 people who turned 18 during the qualifying period for the 2022 Bonus applied for the money- around half of those who were eligible to do so.
People who celebrate their 18th birthday this year can now apply for the 2023 grant with a closing date of September 30.
The Cultural Bonus is divided into three sections:-
€100 for physical products like books, newspapers, CDs and DVDs.
€100 for digital or online products including video game and music subscriptions.
€200 for live arts and cultural-heritage events including cinemas, theatres, and exhibitions as well as music festivals.
Certain products are excluded such as stationery items, curricular textbooks in physical or digital format, equipment, software, hardware, computer and electronic consumables, artistic materials, musical instruments, sports events, fashion, gastronomy, and X-rated or pornographic products.
To be eligible for the Cultural Bonus, individuals must meet certain requirements.
They must turn 18 during 2023 and have either Spanish nationality or residence.
Young applicants seeking asylum or temporary protection in the country may also apply for this financial aid as long as they meet the age requirement.
This year, the main change is that the amount granted can also be spent on bullfighting, following the Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned the exclusion of this activity from the programme.
The Court deemed the government’s justifications for the exclusion as ‘insufficient’.
