The mayors at the XXVII Congress of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP), held this afternoon in Viana do Castelo, called for the Environmental Fund to reimburse municipalities for the total amount of the TGR tax paid, rather than just 30%.
The municipalities advocate for water and sanitation tariffs to be adjusted according to the economic and social realities of each area, maintaining a public service perspective in line with the principle of equity, as opposed to a purely economic-financial approach.
Otherwise, they argue, there is a risk of these tariffs reaching socially unbearable levels, particularly in economically disadvantaged, more dispersed, and less densely populated regions of the country.
The ANMP also opposes ERSAR’s imposition and differentiation of tariffs, viewing it as an infringement on municipal autonomy.
The congress resolution supports cost recovery through the implementation of actual tariffs adjusted for the socio-economic characteristics of the regions.
This should facilitate both economic and financial sustainability of the systems through mechanisms of national and regional solidarity, including tariff balancing funds and the development of a unified tariff.
The ANMP further emphasizes the need for municipalities to be equipped with legal and administrative tools to allow for more effective intervention in rural fire management.
This would enable municipalities to address the structural challenges the country faces regarding forest management, rural areas, and rural fire management, with the aim of enhancing the resilience of territories, promoting rural sustainability, and improving fire prevention and combat strategies.
“There is no sustainability or cohesion without populations feeling protected against collective risks, particularly regarding rural fires,” the mayors affirm.
Hundreds of mayors have gathered since Saturday in Viana do Castelo for the XXVII Congress of the ANMP, discussing themes such as decentralization and local finances.
Pedro Pimpão, the re-elected social-democrat president of the Pombal City Council in the Leiria district and a member of the ANMP Board of Directors, has been appointed as the new president of the association, succeeding Luísa Salgueiro, the socialist president of the Matosinhos City Council.
The ANMP holds congresses every two years, with only the one following municipal elections serving as an electoral congress.
The Board of Directors is an executive body composed of a president, five vice-presidents, and 11 members, elected by delegates at the National Congress from a multi-member list.
In the municipal elections on October 12, the PSD, with its own lists or in coalitions, won in 136 municipalities, compared to 128 for the PS. In 2021, the PSD had won in 114 municipalities compared to 149 for the socialists.
