The prime minister said this Wednesday that the government is evaluating the continuity of the golden visa regime for obtaining a residence permit in Portugal, acknowledging that its maintenance may no longer be justified.
António Costa spoke to journalists at the end of a nearly twohour visit to the Web Summit exhibition area at Feira Industrial de Lisboa (FIL) after being asked about the special tax regime for the socalled “digital nomads”.
The Prime Minister defended the continuity of the policy to attract investors in Portugal, especially in the technological field, but made a difference regarding the golden visa regime, where a residence permit is obtained in the following country, for example, buying a highquality property.
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“There are programs that we are currently reassessing and one of them is the golden visa, which has probably already performed the function it was intended to perform and is no longer warranted at this point,” explained Executive Branch Chairman António, with Economy Minister António Costa Silva at his side.
In front of journalists who The prime minister has not yet given a concrete timetable for the possible end of the golden visas a measure that has been called for by the political left, particularly the left bloc, which sees this regime as a factor in deteriorating house prices and a source of problems. the judiciary on suspicion of money laundering.
“When you evaluate, you make all the hypotheses. After you complete the assessment, decisions are made—and the hypotheses become decisions. We are currently evaluating whether golden visas make sense, but there are others [regimes] which continue to make sense,” said António Costa, citing “the regressor program” as an example.
“This is a program where we provide generous support in tax matters so that the Portuguese who have had to emigrate can return to the country,” he added.
Left Bloc (BE) MEP Mariana Mortágua has already responded to the Prime Minister’s comments on the possible end of the golden visa regime.
“Probably already fulfilled the function it had to fulfill”. Oh, it has come true! Let’s see how they vote on the budget or if it’s just another ad without a proposal,” wrote the BE MP on social network Twitter.
“Probably already fulfilled the function it had to fulfill”. Oh, it has come true! Let’s see how they vote on the budget or if it’s just another noproposal announcement. https://t.co/sRIasQfxGO
Mariana Mortagua (@MRMortagua) November 2, 2022
News updated at 13:03