As if on cue after yesterday’s report that top legal expert Alexandre de Albuquerque had criticised the relentless action of the tax authorities as being ‘inhumane,’* a charity in Oporto has had its food supplies seized due to non-payment of motorway tolls.
The president of the social support association in Oporto ‘O Coração da Cidade/The Heart of the City’ said that the not-for-profit association, that every day manages to feed 457 poor families, cannot pay the debt to the authorities that led to the seizure of its donated food supplies.
"I am not paying. If they want to take me to court, then let them. But before me they should judge the criminals who have put the country in this situation," said Lasalete Santos, the founder of the 20-year-old institution.
The debt in question is about €4,000 made up of overdue toll fees, fines and court costs which Santos says are "a fraud and crazy," saying that he already has agreed one payment plan for €2,000.
Lasalete Santos said that coercive collection took place last week after he had logged food for transport onto the Guia de Transporte system.
The food had been donated by local supermarkets and was to be delivered to poor families.
"This shows a failure in the system, I cannot afford to pay but I will continue to work as before.”
The charity delivers 2,500 kilos of food to 450 families, between 2,200 and 2,300 people, without any help or support at all from the state.
"These are perishable foods. Goods come in and we have to distribute them to people,” said the association boss, questioning what on earth the authorities are going to do with bread, milk, and yogurt that will soon go off.
"These are not people who have failed to pay Social Security five years in a row. These are people who have always paid Social Security and who know the law, they are required to know the law, they do not have amnesia and are being motivated for a better future," said Santos, alluding to the failure of the Prime Minister to pay his Social Security bill for several years running.**
* http://www.algarvedailynews.com/news/4906-top-lawyer-says-portugal-s-tax-regime-is-inhumane
** http://www.algarvedailynews.com/news/4916-passos-coelho-admits-he-is-not-a-perfect-citizen
