How the DGT's position has evolved
Current position
To be taxed on the variable quota of AJD (Stamp Duty), the document must be the first copy of a deed registrable in the Property Registry, not be subject to other taxes, and have as its object a valuable amount or thing. The absence of an economic object or quantifiable value in the act, as occurs in cancellations of horizontal division or new construction, prevents the imposition of the tax. The exemption in mortgage novations is maintained if the modification affects the interest rate or the term, provided it is not the result of a contractual agreement that provides new valuable content.
The DGT's position remains constant in defining valuable content as the presence of a quantifiable amount or thing. Throughout the rulings, it has been specified that merely formal or cancellation acts do not possess such content. Likewise, the scope of exemptions in mortgage novations has been delimited against the appearance of new legal clauses.
Turning points
-
Specifies that the exemption in the gradual modality only applies to the modification of interest rates or terms, excluding changes in the amortization system.
-
Establishes that the acceptance of the mortgage has no valuable content because the object is the guarantee and not the act of accepting it.
Analysis based on 27 of 29 rulings with a stated position. Updated 24 September 2026.