The Left Bloc has proposed that a special tourist tax is created to enable users of the Algarve’s Via do Infante to use the motorway for free.
This is one of measures that the party presented during last week's debate on the 2018 State Budget.
The Left Bloc idea is that overnight stays are taxed in the Algarve’s registered hotels and other designated accommodation at the rate of 1.5% to 2.5% of the total bill, excluding VAT. It is not yet clear whether this proposed tax would extend to Alojamento Local short-term tourist rental properties as any additional tax would deter landlords from registering.
The money raised would be used to fund the toll concession holder, instead of the company collecting toll fees from motorway users, topped up by a government subsidy.
If there was any money left over, this could be used for other Algarve infrastructure and communications projects.
Local Left Bloc MP, João Vasconcelos, said that the Government had registered some interest in the proposal and would study it and respond by Thursday this coming week when the budget discussions are to be concluded.
Vasconcelos was a founder member of the anti-tolls group, CUVI, that still seeks the abolition of the Via do Infante tolls, as promised by the present prime minister in a pre-election statement that was quickly forgotten when he gained power.
The MP said that scrapping the tolls is his preferred option but that a tourist tax would be a good alternative.
Rui André, the mayor of Monchique council, proposed this summer that the Algarve’s councils should charge a tourist tax of one euro per person per night, which would be used to pay the motorway tolls concession holder, thus enabling free motorway travel.
In the first six months of 2017, motorists paid €14.8 million in tolls to use the Via do Infante, €468,000 more than in the same period of 2016. This still did not cover the amount due to the concession holder as, under secret clauses in the concession contract, the taxpayer is obliged to make up any shortfall based on pre-toll traffic volumes.
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It goes much deeper, I think. The monied interests own both main political parties. The whole system is so rigged and filled with placemen, bought off, bribed, or just too frigtened for their careers to step out of line.
The government's real role is basically to protect the interests of big business and financiers. Democracy is spoken of often, but rarely allowed to ever occur, except when the elites are indifferent on a given subject.
Taxpayers had to chip in another €19.2 million to make up the €32 million that the concessionaire received for th first six months of the year.
A lot of high ranked white collars are the shareholders of these PPP and some of them are shareholder in several of these PPP.
It is not clear but many well informed people think the dividends on these shares are paid in offshore havens. The content of the PPP contracts is highly classified information because:
* we may not know the Lucky shareholders
* and we definitely may not know the millions these people earn for doing .... nothing else than being "a silent shareholder". That's one of the privileges being "a whirte collar" in Portugal. Who said dictatorial principles are over ??????
Blimey, mate! Is that figure secret, too?
Roll on Marques!
Ought we wonder why those in power are forcing the issue by allowing the protracted dilapidation of the N125..?
Fine, so we agree to pay the crooks and get vehicles back onto the motorway and off the local roads.
In reality we'd likely see the new tax, yet the tolls would somehow, magically, remain.
We may find out who, if anyone, was bribed for signing these contracts but whether these can be interrupted has yet to be challenged.
These sorts of poisoned pill contracts have no place in the civil engineering and service sectors. National security was not at risk. The contracts have secret clauses to prevent public scrutiny of the compensation agreed for breaking the contracts, which may be triggered if the clauses are made public - or even shown to our MPs.
This is not open government, this is sneaky deals probably to protect those in public office that have benefitted financially.