Cadastral Reference Value & Spanish Plusvalía (IIVTNU): It Does Not Replace the Sale Price Without a Formal Valuation Check (DGT V0792/2026)
Spain's General Directorate of Taxes (DGT) confirms in [binding consultation V0792/2026 of 9 April](https://bufetepadillatorrevieja.com/en/blog/valor-referencia-catastro-iivtnu-comprobacion-valores-dgt-v0792-2026) that the Cadastral Reference Value cannot automatically replace the sale price declared in the deed for the purposes of the Municipal Capital Gains Tax on Urban Land (Plusvalía / IIVTNU) without a prior formal valuation check. We break down what this means for sellers, heirs and donees on the Costa Blanca.
Introduction: why this binding ruling can save you serious money
Since the 2021 Cadastre reform, the [Cadastral Reference Value](https://www.catastro.hacienda.gob.es) has become the minimum taxable base for Spain's Property Transfer Tax (ITP) and Inheritance & Gift Tax (ISD). Many town halls have tried to apply the same rule to the [Plusvalía municipal (IIVTNU)](https://bufetepadillatorrevieja.com/en/tax-calculator/plusvalia) — the municipal tax on the increase in urban land value — to inflate the tax bill.
In binding consultation V0792/2026 of 9 April 2026, the Spanish General Directorate of Taxes (DGT) makes it clear that this practice is unlawful: the Cadastral Reference Value does not replace the sale price stated in the deed for plusvalía purposes unless a formal valuation check is carried out with all the guarantees of Article 57 of the General Tax Act (LGT).
At [Bufete Padilla](https://bufetepadillatorrevieja.com/en/contact), with offices in Torrevieja, Elche and Moraira and clients across the Costa Blanca, we explain what this means for you and how to defend yourself.
1. What is the IIVTNU and what is the Cadastral Reference Value?
- IIVTNU (municipal plusvalía): local tax on the increase in urban land value shown by a transfer (sale, inheritance, gift). Governed by Articles 104 et seq. of the [Local Finance Act (TRLHL)](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2004-4214), redesigned by [Royal Decree-Law 26/2021](https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2021-17967) which introduced the actual-gain method (Art. 107.5 TRLHL).
- Cadastral Reference Value: administrative value set since 2022 by the General Directorate of the Cadastre, based on notarised sale prices. It is the minimum taxable base for ITP and ISD (Art. 10 [TRLITPAJD](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1993-25359) and Art. 9 [ISD Act 29/1987](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1987-28141)), but it is not a legal substitute for the sale price in plusvalía.
2. What consultation V0792/2026 actually says
The taxpayer essentially asked whether the town hall could reject the purchase price declared by the taxpayer for the actual-gain method of plusvalía (comparing acquisition and transfer values) and replace it with the Cadastral Reference Value.
The DGT answers:
- The actual-gain method of Art. 107.5 TRLHL requires comparing the transfer value (as stated in the deed under Arts. 104 and 107 TRLHL) with the acquisition value.
- The TRLHL does not refer to the Cadastral Reference Value as a substitute.
- The town hall may only depart from the declared value after a formal valuation-check procedure under Articles 57, 134 and 135 of the [General Tax Act](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2003-23186), individually justifying the new value, notifying the taxpayer, and offering the taxpayer expert appraisal (tasación pericial contradictoria).
- Applying the Reference Value without a prior check is unlawful and makes the assessment voidable.