The Left Bloc’s Catarina Martins has re-announced a vote winning initiative which is sure to attract those of Portugal’s population that are struggling financially.
"Anyone who already has lost everything can not also lose their home." This proposal from the Left Bloc will be discussed in Parliament on 2 April.
Martins met the directors of the Consumer Protection Association (DECO) to discuss the situation of property seizures in Portugal and to get an idea of the size of the problem.
After the meeting, the Left Bloc leader said to reporters that "most cases of homes being seized and due to over-indebted families who can’t pay their rates (IMI)."
As IMI is due to go up, in some cases dramatically, Martins warned of the likelihood of an increased in cases of people whose homes are sold off to pay the tax.
"This problem already is serious and it will worsen. We have to have answers now. Anyone who has lost everything can’t also lose their home," stated Martins who is guaranteed wide support on this topic, but not from government.
Alluding to the Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho’s difficulty in identifying and paying his social security dues, Martins argued that many coalition MPs may now not hamper the draft resolution as Passos Coelho has already shown through his own example that it is legitimate that if someone cannot pay immediately, they can pay later when funds allow.
There are plenty of case of homes being seized and sold off for tax debts of as little as €150 "We must ensure now that the state does not take away permanent homes as is the case in other countries," stressed Martins.
