This Friday, deputies approved a draft resolution from the PS recommending that the government secure the collection of revenue related to dams, but rejected PCP, BE, PAN and Livre projects on tax issues related to dams.
The PS draft resolution was approved with the favorable votes of the PS, PSD, PCP, BE, PAN and Livre and the abstention of Chega and Liberal Initiative, after a debate in which deputies from various opposition parties accused the socialists of presenting an initiative that has no value and just want to save face.
It is a draft resolution that recommends that the government create the necessary conditions for generating revenue for municipalities within the framework of the economic exploitation of hydroelectric developments.
PSD delegate Adão Silva pointed out that there is no doubt about the need for dams to pay IMI and that the PSD’s resolution project is moving in that direction. the millions of euros” owed to Trás-os-Montes.
For the Social Democratic deputy, the same lack of effectiveness applies to the order of the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs. In this order, released earlier this month, Nuno Santos Félix directs the Tax and Customs Authority to conduct a review and update of dam matrices and continue to collect IMI on dams, covering the past four years, in response to an advisory board opinion of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), unanimously approved in 2006, on this issue.
At the opening of this debate, PS delegate Carlos Brás had underlined that the objectives of the motion for a resolution, in the sense of “creating in the short term the necessary conditions for revenue generation” by municipalities in regions where the economic exploitation of equipment is registered [Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro] and take the necessary steps to ensure that applicable law is applied in the future, dispelling any doubts, interpretative or otherwise, that may persist on this matter.
“We believe that the legal mechanisms are sufficient” and “should be exhausted before any legislative change takes place,” he said, emphasizing that “it is important to clarify this situation by allowing the collection of taxes until the limit of the statute of limitations.”.
The deputy also recalled the investigation process at the DCIAP and the investigation into the dam trade being conducted by the Tax and Customs Administration.
His colleague Sobrinho Teixeira, for his part, referred that the draft resolution of the PS “entails a diversified series of taxes”, which concerns the IMI, but also the stamp duty and the IMT due for the sale operation of six dams by EDP to the consortium led by Engie.
Of the opposition parties, Bernardo Blanco of the Liberal Initiative insisted that the PS draft resolution “makes no sense”, while André Ventura of Chega underlined that the PS only wants to “save face” with this initiative. .
“If we want tax to be collected, what should be a bill with an interpretative standard”he said, adding that the government’s draft resolution is not intended to resolve the matter, but to “save face in the face of” what the former environment minister said about the tax aspect of the sale of the six dams to Engi.
Mariana Mortágua, from Bloco de Esquerda, explained that there must be revenue to ensure that there is revenue for the municipalities affected by this type of infrastructure, and that revenue must be collected for that.
“if [a receita fiscal] will not be passed on to EDP and cannot be reversed”he said in a session that also debated a BE project that stipulated the non-exemption of IMI for buildings and structures of dams and power plants and failed, with the PS being the only one to vote against.
This Friday was also discussed and voted on a PCP project that aimed to prohibit the state from resorting to tax arbitration in the settlement of disputes in administrative and tax matters and was rejected with the negative vote of the PS, PSD and IL, abstaining from the Enough and favorable vote of the proponent and other parties.
Presenting the initiative, the Communist deputy Duarte Alves maintained the “topicality” of the measure, pointing to the possibility that EDP will contest the application of IMI collection on dams envisaged in the said message and underlined that with the PCP project , even if that were to happen, the matter would have to be settled by the courts and not by arbitration.
The session also debated and voted on the PAN and Livre draft resolutions, both of which recommend that the government guarantee the collection and settlement of taxes due in connection with the sale of six dams in the Douro by EDP to Engie.
For Inês Sousa Real, from PAN, this project defends that “EDP pays the taxes it owes after” selling the dams to Engie, pointing out that €110 million is at stake in terms of stamp duty alone.
Rui Tavares, from Livre, also underlined the stamp duty that was not paid, recalling, however, that the language “of EDP is neither Portuguese nor Mirandese”, but “Economese”.
In both cases, PS and IL voted against.
At the end of the polls, BE deputy Mariana Mortágua accused the PS of preventing parliament from solving the problem of EDP’s non-payment of taxes, as it was the only party to vote against the Bloc’s bill.
“The conclusion of this debate is only one: when it was given the opportunity to change and solve the problem, it did not. The PS group voted against the law that would allow IMI to be charged with EDP -Checkers”he charged, assuming that the socialists’ approved resolution will have “no practical impact whatsoever”.
Mariana Mortágua regretted that EDP continues to enjoy the “unique privilege of not paying taxes”, highlighting that BE has been pushing for clarification of the law since the beginning so that this money can go to the municipalities where the dams are installed. “The PS started supporting EDP, then changed its mind and today finally rejected the BE project that guaranteed exactly that”complained.
The only member of the PAN, Inês Sousa Real, also regretted the rejection of her initiative, noting that 110 million euros in taxes are owed by EDP and that should flow back to the regions where the equipment is located.
Parliament also debated two draft resolutions from the PCP and PAN and a draft resolution from Chega focusing on agricultural policy and production, but both were rejected.
Source: DN
