The Lisbon Chamber’s anti-inflationary plan will include an increase in the number of subsidies for housing rentals, doubling this social support for the allocation of “up to 1,000 scholarships”revealed this Monday the president of the municipal executive, Carlos Moedas (PSD).
We want to increase the number of income subsidies, that is, what we currently have as an income support subsidy is not enough. We would like to reach 1,000 subsidies in Lisbon”, said the mayor, considering that it is a very important measure, because this social response is for people with difficulties to pay rent in the housing market.
On the sidelines of the inauguration of the Teixeira de Pascoais Basic School, in the Alvalade parish, Carlos Moedas explained that the municipal subsidy for ensures that “the income paid by people does not exceed more than 30% of what they earn“, with the Lisbon City Council insuring the remaining amount, and this support can reach a 1/3 of revenue.
We look at a family, we see what the family’s income is and we try to limit the income to 30% of the income”, reinforced the mayor, adding that this should be the maximum rate of effort to access housing, but, “unfortunately , to the rents in Lisbon are very expensive and far exceed that“, so it is necessary to have “more income support”.
Without disclosing the total amount expected by the chamber to strengthen this support in the area of housing, the mayor said that the measure will be included in the anti-inflationary plan of the Lisbon City Council (CML), which is being worked on by all the political forces that make up the municipal executive , to be presented later this week.
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“In the anti-inflationary plan that we have, we are going to at least double the rental support subsidies and we are going to continue working on projects, either in the PRR [Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência]whether they are the projects of the social income chamber, for teachers, for police officers and for young people who are starting their careers,” said the social democrat.
Asked about the difficulties in accessing housing in Lisbon, which affect the attraction of teachers and police officers to work in the city, Carlos Moedas recognized the problem and defended that it is necessary to act in the field of housing in many sectors, “from municipal to affordable housing, but also in specific sectors, such as education and the case of security forces“.
In addition to the increase in the number of rental subsidies, the Lisbon City Council has construction of about 1,000 homesbetween affordable income and municipal income, highlighted the mayor.
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The Lisbon City Council began on Friday to discuss possible measures to respond to the impact of inflation, agreeing on the proposals of all the political forces of the municipal executive to present a “robust” support package, even aimed at families.
Although there are already proposals formalized by BE and the independent councilor Paula Marques (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) to combat the effects of inflation in the city of Lisbon, as well as ideas announced by the mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), the The executive council decided to agree on all the contributions of the political forces to reach a package of measures, which is expected to be discussed this week.
Two weeks ago, the mayor of Lisbon announced the intention not to increase municipal housing prices, including supported rent and affordable rent, during 2023, a measure that aims to respond to inflation and that will benefit “around 21 thousand families“.
On Wednesday, in an interview with RTP3, Carlos Moedas also highlighted as measures that will have an impact on the crisis caused by inflation, free public transport for young and old residents of Lisbon, which already has the adherence of “more than 35 thousand lisboetas”and the approval of 4.4 million euros until 2023 for the Social Emergency Fund (FES), which serves to support families in need, through the collaboration of the 24 parish councils of the city, for the assignment of “a check between 1,000 and 1,500 euros”, which can be used to pay the rent or help with food.
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Carlos Moedas also referred to the fulfillment of electoral promises such as free health insurance for the needy population over 65 years of age, a proposal that he plans to present in October; the return of 3.5% of the Personal Income Tax (IRS) to citizens in 2023, increasing again by 0.5% as it did this year, which went from 2.5% to 3 %; and the exemption from the Municipal Tax on Onerous Transfers of Real Estate (IMT) for the acquisition of their own home by young people up to 35 years of age.
BE proposed a municipal program to support families, associative movements and companies, with a set of 16 emergency measures in the areas of housing, economic activity, culture and transport, namely, the exemption of 50% of taxes, in the second semester of 2022, referring to markets (squares and shops) and non-sedentary economic activities (fairs, street sales and provision of services), stalls and kiosks, and the occupation of public thoroughfares, managed by CML.
The independent councilor Paula Marques also suggested six measures to combat inflation, such as “not updating the rental value in municipal housing and non-housing leases up to 1,000 m2 by 2023” and the immediate application of an extraordinary 50% discount on sanitation fees. urban and additional waste, indexed to the home water supply contracts within the municipality, until December 31, 2022.
The PS said that “it does not present any proposal without knowing the financial allocation that Carlos Moedas is willing to allocate to the CML support program,” said Inês Drummond, challenging the PSD/CDS-PP leadership to invest at least the amount of 25 million euros that the chamber registered in 2020, under the presidency of the socialist Fernando Medina, for the Social Emergency Fund, instead of the 4.4 million approved until 2023.
With availability to work together with the other elements of the executive, the PCP and Livre councilors are also preparing measures to mitigate the effects of inflation in the city.
Source: Observadora
