Taxpayers have had no qualms in entering the Fatura da Sorte, or ‘Win an Audi,’ sweepstake but now must inform the tax department if they want to remain anonymous.
Up until now the winners have remained unknown unless they particularly want their relatives and friends to know they have just won a brand new Audi worth up to €51,000.
Portugal’s citizens never have paid so much tax with the latest government estimate showing a record haul of €37 billion for the year.
The amended, amended, amended 2014 budget has just been delivered to parliament and includes tax increases of €1.2 billion, mostly from record VAT receipts of €974 million, which almost brought a smile to the stony face of our tax collector general, Maria Luís Albuquerque.
Eurozone inflation dropped to its lowest level since November 2009 this August.
Prices grew by only 0.3% in the year to August, down 0.1 percentage point from July, according to a preliminary estimate from statistics agency Eurostat.
From his grave, a dead musician in Spain has taunted the country’s finance minister.
Jose Maria Bejarano Martin challenged the minister thus: “Montoro, cabron, ahora ven y cobras” (Montoro, you bastard, now come and get your money).
Portugal’s unemployment rate crept lower between June and July, from 14.1% to 14% according to Eurostat figures.
Compared to the position last year, the drop from 16.3% in July 2013 to the current 14% is the largest year-on-year decline in the EU alongside Hungary.
Fines and sentences issued by the Bank of Portugal have been confirmed in court, those that controlled Millennium BPC have to pay €3.47 million but inevitably will appeal.
The Tribunal de Pequena Instância in Lisbon has ruled and confirmed the convictions and fines for the six former directors of Millennium BCP. The bank itself had been fined for irregularities in the management of its offshore operations.
Cape Verdean national Valter Nunes has been arrested in connection with last week’s murder of António Guimarães, a bouncer at the Second Bar in Avenida Sá Carneiro, Oura, Albufeira at 02.55 in the monring.
Nunes appeared in Albufeira court yesterday having been released from hospital after a week's recovery and later was remanded in custody.
As many as 30 different electrical appliances could be outlawed in the EU because of the high-wattage required to power them.
A ban is already coming into force on vacuum cleaners which use a great deal of electricity. With effect on Monday, vacuums for sale in Britain may not have a motor operating at more than 1,600 watts.
