During a session of political declarations in the Assembly of the Republic, PCP’s parliamentary leader, Paula Santos, stated that housing costs have increased by 80% since 2018, with a 16.3% rise in the first three months of this year, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
“The measures decided by the PSD/CDS government, particularly the exemption from IMT and Stamp Duty, spurred the rise in house prices, as we warned at the time,” she emphasized, adding that these measures benefited only a small group of young people, leaving the majority without access to housing.
According to Paula Santos, the government’s measures favored “the wealthier” and contributed “to rising prices and promoting speculation.”
“What some describe as the market at work is, in truth, total chaos,” she remarked, also highlighting a crisis in the rental market, where “families are being forced out of their homes” because they cannot “afford speculative rent values.”
“INE data confirm what was expected: the median rent for new contracts increased by 10%, while the number of new contracts decreased by 10.4% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year. This is the result of deregulation and liberalization of renting,” she criticized.
Accusing PS, PSD, Chega, CDS, and IL of being aligned on housing measures, Paula Santos argued they are turning housing “into a commodity and a business” and warned that benefits and tax exemptions will not solve the problem.
“Insisting on this option will not solve any problem and will only make the right to housing seem more elusive. This option is insufficient. The current situation calls for a break from this path and these right-wing political choices,” she defended.
After her intervention, PSD deputy Gonçalo Lage stated that housing is a “top priority” for this government and accused the PCP of “never having had a say” during the ‘geringonça’ period on this issue.
“This government, within a year in office and amidst elections, has taken more measures than the PS did in eight years,” he said, criticizing the PCP’s housing measures, which he claimed would only worsen the crisis.
Chega deputy Francisco Gomes accused the PCP of being “the voice of deceit and bait,” pointing out that they voted against his party’s measures like fiscal incentives for renting and are involved in “more business with real estate assets.”
Meanwhile, Livre’s parliamentary leader, Isabel Mendes Lopes, noted that although the PSD claims this is a government priority, the first measures of this legislature did not address this subject, questioning what is being done to lower housing and rental prices.
In response to these requests for clarification, Paula Santos accused Chega of not presenting any solutions and wanting to benefit banks and the real estate sector, before addressing the PSD.
“This government does not provide a response because its commitments are not with ensuring the right to housing. (…) Since the IMT and Stamp Duty measures were taken, housing prices have increased, and the government itself is responsible for this rise and for promoting speculation,” she reiterated.
