In Esposende, during the presentation of the PSD candidate for the local council, Montenegro acknowledged that rents of 2,300 euros are “very high,” but are found in areas like Lisbon, Porto, or Setúbal Peninsula.
These are zones, he emphasized, “where the market does not have sufficient supply and where a family with two or three children cannot access affordable rent to have housing options.”
“In these places, we are talking about teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, senior technicians, freelance professionals, public administration, and companies. For those who have difficulty understanding, our plan is this: we want to provide advantages to the entire territory,” he remarked.
For Montenegro, who is also Prime Minister, the territory must reciprocate the solidarity often demanded from large urban centers.
“If we often demand this spirit of solidarity outside Lisbon, Porto, and the major urban centers, we must also express solidarity throughout the rest of the territory for those living in large urban centers who also have the right to have nursery educators, teachers in schools, and doctors in hospitals and health centers,” he pointed out.
For Luís Montenegro, “this Social Democratic Party forgets no one.”
“It does not forget those in difficulty, offering them support. It does not forget those in the territory, standing by them. But it also does not forget the middle class in major urban centers who are responsible for ensuring the pulse and development of our country. Those who do not understand this do not know what Portugal is,” he asserted.
On Thursday, at the end of the Council of Ministers, Luís Montenegro announced that the Government will reduce the VAT rate to 6% for the construction of houses for sale up to 648,000 euros, or if for rental, with rents up to 2,300 euros – a tax regime set to be in effect until 2029.
On the other hand, the minimum VAT rate of 6% will also apply to “the construction and rehabilitation of buildings” for rentals up to the value of 2,300 euros.
The secretary-general of PS expressed surprise at the Government’s assumption that the average rent for Portuguese is 2,300 euros, stating this comes from someone who does not know the country.
“I was surprised by the fact that we have a prime minister and a minister responsible for housing infrastructure, considering that the average rent for the Portuguese is 2,300 euros. This is what surprised me,” José Luís Carneiro told journalists.
