The president of the CDS-PP sent a letter to the president of the republic requesting that the Mais Habitação package be sent to the Constitutional Court, as the right to property is “grossly” questioned.
“The CDS-PP appealed to the President of the Republic to exercise his own powers and to raise before the Constitutional Court the non-compliance of the aforementioned legislation with the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic,” reads a statement. note signed by the president of the party, Nuno Melo, stating that the constitutional protection of private initiative and the right to property is “grossly questioned” with the “More Housing” package.
The party emphasizes that in a democracy, the state cannot prevent citizens from using their property in a full and legal manner and that all restrictions are subject to compensation.
For the CDS-PP, measures such as those in the Mais Habitação package, “typical of authoritarian regimes”, are disproportionate and will encourage the withdrawal of houses from the rental market, as well as the accelerated deterioration of real estate.
“On the other hand, the owners, businessmen and individuals committed to local accommodation cannot be the opportunity cost of a failure in the government’s housing policy,” he insists, adding that seven years ago the Prime Minister, António Costa (PS ), announced a public investment of 1,400 million euros to build 7,500 houses with affordable rents to serve 30,000 families, “but absolutely nothing remarkable was achieved”.
Nuno Melo also emphasizes that the state is the largest owner in Portugal, but does not put its properties on the rental market.
With regard to local accommodation (AL), the chairman of the CDS-PP says it is not acceptable for the state to introduce an extraordinary tax on the activity, which represents 40% of the tourism supply.
Mais Habitação includes tax incentives, which stipulate that anyone who moves a house from AL to rent is exempt from IRS on rent for several years, and there are also no limits on the definition of the value of the rent. On the other hand, in areas of urban pressure, the AL will be subject to an extraordinary contribution of 20% – which is levied on a portion of the income generated and whose calculation takes into account the average rental values and the income of the property Good .
Source: DN
