The measure will also affect foreign buyers who have flocked
to Portugal to take advantage of tax exemptions granted to European retirees
who move for the first time to the country.
French nationals account for 27 percent of all foreign real
estate buyers, followed by Britons who account for 18 percent.
"With this measure, the government has shot itself in
the foot. Portugal can't constantly change the rules of the game," added
Henrique Moser, a lawyer with the Telles law firm which specialises in real
estate.
The government also decided to raise its tax on home rentals
for tourists, which have up until now been lower than those applied to
long-term rentals.
The measure comes as home rental websites such as Airbnb
have seen their business soar in Lisbon and other Portuguese cities.
The number of people who have stayed in accommodation in the
Portuguese capital has doubled to 433,000 in 2015 from 213,000 the previous
year.
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