On 31 May 2013, it was announced that Andorra intended to legislate for the introduction of an income tax by the end of June, against a background of increasing dissatisfaction with the existence of tax havens among EU members. The announcement was made following a meeting in Paris between the Head of Government Antoni Marti and the French President and Prince of Andorra, François Hollande. Hollande welcomed the move as part of a process of Andorra “bringing its taxation in line with international standards”.
Transportation:
Until the 20th century, Andorra had very limited transport links to the outside world, and development of the country was affected by its physical isolation. Even now, the nearest major airports at Toulouse and Barcelona are both three hours’ drive from Andorra.
Andorra has a road network of 173 miles, of which 47 miles is unpaved. The two main roads out of Andorra la Vella are the CG-1 to the Spanish border, and the CG-2 to the French border via the Envalira Tunnel near El Pas de la Casa. Bus services cover all metropolitan areas and many rural communities, with services on most major routes running half-hourly or more frequently during peak travel times. There are frequent long-distance bus services from Andorra to Barcelona and Toulouse, plus a daily tour from the former city. Bus services are mostly run by private companies, but some local ones are operated by the government.
There are no airports for fixed-wing aircraft within Andorra’s borders but there are, however, heliports in La Massana (Camí Heliport), Arinsal and Escaldes-Engordany with commercial helicopter services and an airport located in the neighboring Spanish comarca of Alt Urgell, 7.5 miles south of the Andorran-Spanish border. Since July 2015, Andorra–La Seu d’Urgell Airport has operated commercial flights to Madrid and Palma de Mallorca, and is the main hub for Air Andorra and Andorra Airlines. As of 11 July 2018, there are no regular commercial flights at the airport.
Nearby airports located in Spain and France provide access to international flights for the principality. The nearest airports are at Perpignan, France 97 miles from Andorra and Lleida, Spain 99 miles from Andorra. The largest nearby airports are at Toulouse, France 103 miles from Andorra and Barcelona, Spain 134 miles from Andorra. There are hourly bus services from both Barcelona and Toulouse airports to Andorra.
The nearest railway station is L’Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre 6 miles east of Andorra which is on the line from Latour-de-Carol 16 miles southeast of Andorra, to Toulouse and on to Paris by the French high-speed trains. This line is operated by the SNCF. Latour-de-Carol has a scenic trainline to Villefranche-de-Conflent, as well as the SNCF’s line connecting to Perpignan, and the RENFE‘s line to Barcelona. There are also direct Intercités de Nuit trains between L’Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre and Paris on certain dates.
The Flag:
The national flag of the Principality of Andorra (Catalan: Bandera d’Andorra) was adopted in 1866. The flag is a vertical tricolour of blue, yellow, and red with the coat of arms of Andorra in the center. Although the three vertical bars may at first appear to be of equal width, the center yellow bar is slightly wider than the other two so that the ratio of bar widths is 8:9:8. The overall flag ratio is 7:10.