Parliament approved on Wednesday, in committee, the government's tax measures for housing, including a reduction in VAT to 6% on the construction of properties intended for permanent housing, with some changes compared to the original proposal.

As confirmed to Lusa by the president of the Budget, Finance and Public Administration Committee, Rui Afonso, the measure was approved with votes against from the PS, abstentions from Chega and Livre, and votes in favour from the PSD, Iniciativa Liberal, and CDS-PP.

This measure had been criticised, notably by the head of the Order of Certified Accountants (OCC), Paula Franco, who warned that, as it was conceived, the application of 6% VAT to construction was not "viable".

Proposed amendments

Meanwhile, the parliamentary groups of the PSD and CDS-PP presented a proposed amendment, which stipulates that this reduction no longer applies if the property is not intended for primary and permanent residence or, if so, "the purchaser does not remain in the property for a minimum period of 12 months" and "in cases where the purchaser does not use the property as primary and permanent residence or, if so, does not remain in the property for a minimum period of 12 months, unless the non-compliance with this period was due to exceptional circumstances in the cases. terms of § 23 of article 10 of the IRS Code, the application of an increase in IMT of 10 p.p.

In the final text of the bill, released by parliament, the Committee approved several proposals for housing, including the "exclusion from taxation of capital gains resulting from the transfer of residential properties, in case of reinvestment in the acquisition of properties intended for rental for housing", the "increase in the limit value of the deduction for IRS purposes by tenants in relation to Amounts paid as monthly rent in residential lease agreements, up to €1,000.00", as well as "the application of a reduced autonomous IRS tax rate to property income arising from lease agreements intended for residential rental of 10%".

It also contemplates "the exemption from IMT and IS borne on the acquisition of properties intended for residential rental, rental for residential subletting or residential subletting", among other measures.