The president of the republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said this Sunday that he had already made a decision on the implementation of the Mais Habitação program, but left the announcement until Monday morning.

“I signed the various diplomas that I had to sign today and I made the decisions that I had to make. On the other hand, of course, it is explained what I had to explain about different diplomas,” the head of state said on arrival in Warsaw for a two-day official visit.

Asked if he had spoken with the Prime Minister, António Costa, about the reasons that led him to decide in a certain way, still maintaining the taboo until Monday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa recalled that the Mais Habitação program is a series of diplomas from the government and also from the Assembly of the Republic. In this case, he explained, he owes justifications to António Costa and the Speaker of the Parliament, Augusto Santos Silva.

On Friday, the president of the republic already announced that the decision would not be announced until the beginning of the week.

The President of the Republic also declined to comment on the PSD’s proposal to cut taxes, but warned that the subject is inevitable with the approaching discussion of the state budget, especially with the European elections in 2024.

“I’m not going to comment on party views, what I said was very general (…) and fundamental are taxes. As we head towards a European election — and we’re eight months away from one — an inevitable point to deal with tax,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa upon arrival in Warsaw for a two-day visit to the country that includes a meeting with its Polish counterpart.

The head of state believed that “nothing intervenes” in the debate between the parties and in the Assembly of the Republic, but felt it was necessary “to look at the context of a country that has many families with many restrictions that remain existence” and of an “international situation that is quite undefined”.

The President of the Republic revealed that from the consultations he has held in recent weeks with the Portuguese people he encountered on the streets, inflation and taxes, as well as the return to the school period, are among the main concerns.

“We will see what the government proposes as a proposal for the state budget, we will see what are the proposals of the oppositions in this matter,” he added.

PS isolated in Mais Habitação

The Mais Habitação program was approved in parliament on July 19 in a final general vote, with only the PS bank voting in favor of the legislative package moving forward with changes in leasing, licensing or local accommodation.

PSD, Chega, Iniciativa Liberal, PCP and BE voted against, while Livre and PAN chose to abstain, on a final voting day in which the opposition parties still called for proposals to change this package, but ultimately failed again as it had happened in the specialty.

After the diploma went to Belém Palace, there was a lot of anticipation about what Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will do regarding this proposal. The President of the Republic has been answering questions from journalists in recent days from the beach where he is vacationing in the Algarve, always keeping his decision open.

The only doubt that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa rejected was the possibility of sending the diploma to the Constitutional Court, adding that he would not do this, but left the veto on the table, on the day when the deadline to appeal ended up with the judges of the Palace, Ratton.

Mais Habitação foresees, among other things, a capital gains tax exemption for owners who sell houses to the state, the end of new ‘golden’ visas, an increase in the deduction per dependent person under the Family IMI, changes to the autonomous rate of real estate income and tax exemptions for owners withdrawing their homes from local accommodation by the end of 2024.

In the local housing sector, an extraordinary contribution and the suspension of registration of new housing outside low-density areas (especially inland areas) were also approved, controversial and controversial measures, such as the forced renting of houses that has been in place for more than two years.