As the holiday season comes to a close, many Spaniards are bracing themselves for what could be described as a "black September."

Apart from having to return to work after the summer holidays, this September is set to be tougher than ever for Spaniards for several reasons.

To begin, Spaniards will face an increase in sales tax from 18 percent to 21 percent on goods such as electricity, petrol and water bills from September 1. This will affect many other services with the price of cinema tickets, vet bills and even the cost of funerals rising by three percent.

The price rises will hit already struggling sectors such as the car industry, which has seen sales drop consistently for the last two years, while bars, restaurants, cinemas and even attendance at football grounds are also likely to be hit.

The sales tax increase is part of the Spanish government's efforts to reduce the country's deficit to 6.3 percent of its economic output by the end of the year.

Spain's housing market has been in depression since 2008 with a backlog of unsold houses building up.

Former Spanish rime minister Jose Luis Zapatero reduced the sales tax on new houses to 4 percent in an attempt to clear this backlog. However, that tariff is now set to rise to 10 percent, further depressing the housing sector and the construction industry.

Meanwhile, sales tax on foodstuffs and transport will increase from 8 percent to 10 percent.

Almost 25 percent of the Spanish workforce is currently unemployed.

September is traditionally a bad month for jobs in Spain as it sees the end of many temporary contracts in the tourist sector and also of short-term work in the agriculture sector.

After a minor letup during the summer, the jobs market will almost certainly return to reflecting the crude reality of Spain's economic situation.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy faces a busy month, which will start with the visit of the President of the European Council of Ministers Herman Van Rompuy on Tuesday.

This will be followed on Thursday by a visit by French President Francois Hollande. While Rajoy may find a sympathetic ear with Hollande, he is likely to have a tougher time when German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Madrid on September 6.

With Spain's GDP continuing to fall, unemployment rising and consumer confidence falling, some argue that it is only a matter of time that Madrid would request an EU bailout. Some analysts say a further round of spending cuts will do nothing to help kickstart the economy, raise production and create new jobs.

For Spaniards, September may symbolize the start of a difficult autumn and a long dark winter.