The chairman of the PSD was of the opinion that the measures announced by the government last Thursday to weaken the rise in housing interest rates are “late coming” and limited, making him confident that if he were to become Prime Minister are, he would be “more ambitious”.
Speaking to journalists in Escaroupim (Salvaterra de Magos), in the context of the ‘Sentir Portugal’ initiative, dedicated this week to the Santarém district, Luís Montenegro emphasized that he does not always want to appear negative and critical, admitting that the measures announced today in the Council of Ministers have positive aspects.
“But these measures that the government presents today come too late, the government always acts too late,” he accused, saying that the PSD had already presented in February a measure similar to the one that prevents the increase in interest rates is reflected in the interest rate. such an important way in the field of housing credits, and which he even considered “more comprehensive” than that of the executive branch.
According to Montenegro, the PSD proposal would suspend the application of interest – on the excess portion resulting from the interest rate increase – for two to five years, allowing it to be compensated only at the end of the loan.
The government has already approved that the request to fix the repayment of the home loan can be made for two years – at the banks until the end of the first quarter of 2024 -, at the end of which the general contract regime will be returned and , four years later [dois mais dois]the repayment begins, in each of the monthly installments, of the amount not paid during the first two years.
“This measure is better than nothing, better late than never, but it seems to me very restrictive,” Montenegro considered, warning that “the expected duration of two years” is “very short.”
“The situation is not expected to be much more favorable in two years because it takes time to bring down inflation,” he said.
Montenegro also regretted that the government did not listen to the “forces of society” and political parties, emphasizing that the PSD “offered a frank measure” that was rejected by the absolute majority of the PS.
“If we were the government we would be more ambitious, if we were prime minister we would invest heavily in cutting taxes on young people and on labor income,” he said.
Still, Montenegro acknowledged that other “positive measures”, such as not charging commissions for early repayment of loans and increasing the bonus, are “positive”.
“The real benefit that will happen, based on simulations I have just seen, could be between 70 euros and a hundred euros (…) The government is acting with little ambition and late,” he reiterated.
Chega classifies new measures as “a palliative” and calls for solutions for income
The president of Chega, André Ventura, considered that the housing loan measures announced by the government constitute a “palliative measure” and asked for solutions to help families with higher rents.
“It is just a palliative that excludes hundreds of thousands or millions of tenants, and does not solve the housing loan problem,” the Chega leader stated, considering that these proposals have an “electoral bias” and “will not solve anything.” “.
Speaking to journalists at the General Assembly of the Republic, after the Council of Ministers approved measures in the field of housing credits to help families mitigate the effects of rising interest rates, André Ventura considered them “late measures”.
Chega’s president believed that they should have been implemented “when the crisis hit families”, accusing the government of a “lack of preparation” and not presenting a “fundamental solution”.
“Together with [as medidas] If taken too late, they are only a stopgap measure and will not change the bulk of the increase that has already occurred behind the provision,” he criticized.
Ventura also lamented that the “government is not passing any burden on to the banks” and argued that the “bank’s excess profits” should “support some of this support to families.”
The Council of Ministers today approved measures on home loans to help families mitigate the impact of rising interest rates, including a measure guaranteeing that interest rates do not exceed 70% of the index (Euribor), and another which supports interest subsidies on housing loans from 720 to 800 euros.
The government is also maintaining the suspension of the provision for early repayment of the home loan until the end of 2024.
Source: DN
