For the opening of the Islada hairdresser in Zizurkil, 21% VAT was set. The hairdresser is from Irune Reguero, which offers a ‘necessary service’ and asks for a reduced VAT.

Is it an essential service that you offer?

Yes, of course. For example, many older people cannot wash in their homes, so they have to come to the hairdresser once a week. I would say that it is necessary, often customers are also saying that they need it. We have suffered in confinement and since the beginning of de-escalation it has become clear that it was essential.

Does the reduction in VAT represent a radical change?

At least we would have a big difference in paying bills. The tax burden we have is enormous, many times what we do only give to be able to pay bills and taxes; self-employed invoice, premises, VAT, products... I often think: look at how many people I've had to cut my hair so I can afford all of that.

Six out of ten hairdressers may not exceed six months. What's wrong with your head?

I think that is normal. Looking at six months is looking away, because today spending months is a mystery. The government has granted aid to large companies and banks, which in recent years have earned millions of euros, and yet have laid off the workers. And small businesses have left us with difficulties.

How do you see your sector right now?

We're flushed and crushed if we keep going like that. We have been drowned since Mr Montoro raised VAT to 21% in 2012.

With regard to its establishment, what action has it had to take?

I have had to buy cleaning products, among others. I've had to buy single-use material, and that's shown on the bill, because everything goes from our account. On the other hand, I have to spend some time between clients to clean and disinfect the materials. Luckily, I work alone and I haven't changed the issue a lot in terms of crowds of people. I've always worked when I end up with one client taking the other. So in my hairdresser, you've never been more than two or three people. Now I take them alone and they spend 20 minutes until the other client comes in. What happens is that in order to get the same amount of money you need to spend more hours.

During the lockdown they have also kept it closed for a while.

Two months, yes. There, for example, what we paid for being autonomous was initially taken away from us, but then they partially returned it to us. We have also received subsidies, but they have come to us almost in August. Many of us have had to throw away what we had saved, but those who live with the day have not had a good time, because the place, the light and so on have had to pay the same. And when we've had to go back to work, we've done it by providing more money, so that we can buy special cleaning materials.