The PSD (Portuguese Social Democratic Party) has presented proposals to change and eliminate the “most harmful” initiatives of the Government regarding local lodging, such as the extraordinary contribution or the expiration of registrations in 2030, with the agreement of the “main representative association of the sector”, ALEP.
In a statement, the social democrats say they have maintained “an open and constructive dialogue with the various agents of the sector”, including the Association of Local Lodging in Portugal (ALEP), “in stark contrast to the inability to dialogue with the Government”.
“The socialist government seems to be wanting to ‘condemn to death’ local accommodation in Portugal,” criticizes the party, saying it shares with ALEP the diagnosis that the executive’s measures “violate the right to private property and free private initiative” and jeopardize the viability of a sector “that had and has a fundamental contribution to economic activity and employment in Portugal.
After the approval in generality of the Government package ‘More Housing’ and diplomas of the PSD (Social Democratic Party), the specialty voting starts on Wednesday in the working group created in the scope of the parliamentary Commission of Economy.
The PSD will propose the elimination of the Government’s proposals that it considers “most damaging to local accommodation”: the extraordinary contribution to the sector, the increase in IMI for this type of property, the generalized extension to the whole country of the non-transferability of local accommodation registrations, as well as the expiry of registrations in 2030 “and uncertainty about possible renewal”.
In the communiqué, the party reiterates that, “should the Socialist Party insist in pushing through these harmful measures now, the next PSD government will revoke such harmful measures when it comes into office.
In the specialty discussion, the PSD will also present proposed changes to the Government’s diplomas to seek to “regulate local accommodation (LA) with moderation, reasonability, and sustainability.
The social democrats propose that, “when a condominium assembly opposes the existence of an LA, the mayor may submit the situation to mediation, with the agreement of the parties”, as well as provide that a condominium assembly or the City Council “may require that LAs have noise control mechanisms and/or a 24-hour telephone line for complaints and emergencies”.
The PSD also proposes, as proposed changes to the Government’s diplomas, that the definition of new containment areas and the periodic evaluation of the existing ones “must be based on a study that evaluates concentration and impacts”, determining also that these periodic evaluations “should be done at least every three years”.
The party also proposes to create in the law a new figure of “sustainable growth areas”, which would allow municipalities to “establish some sustainability requirements for LAs (minimum state of conservation or energy efficiency) or that the properties in question have not been subject to urban rental in the two years prior to the registration request.
The parliament approved on May 19th, in general terms, only with the PS’s favorable vote, the Government’s proposal with the measures of the ‘More Housing’ program.
Approved by the Council of Ministers on March 30, the ‘More Housing’ program includes measures such as the forced rental of vacant houses, the suspension of new local accommodation licenses, and the end of ‘gold’ visas.
In March, the PS had made a series of PSD diplomas on housing generally viable by abstaining, which include measures such as more flexible licensing, rental support, state guarantees to help younger people buy and generalized tax relief for the sector.
“More Housing” Program now available for consultation until March 10
