When it comes to tax matters, the Portuguese government shows great imagination! The latter looks forward to tax dwellings according to the amount of sun exposure sun and beautiful views that they enjoy! Is this really feasible?
By taxing homes which enjoys lots of sunshine exposure, the Portuguese authorities justify their decision by the question of social equity, driven by the will of providing a more realistic picture of their property market.
If this provision is enacted, excellent exposure to the sun and splendid views over the ocean could see homeowners face substantial increases in their council tax bills, up to 20%. On the other hand, houses facing cemeteries, which are north-facing or on the bottom floors of an apartment block could see a drop in council tax of up to 10%. Noise pollution shall also be a key factor.
However, sun exposure is the main parameter of this concept. According to Portugal News, “the less sunlight a house receives in the day, the less tax its occupants will have to pay”. This additional charge would apply to new homes or houses with a value exceeding € 600,000.
As you might expect, this project fails to win unanimous support among the Portuguese. Real estate professionals believe that this project could have a negative effect on their business, while Portuguese promoters deplore the subjectivity of an evaluation, saying two identical properties could be evaluated very diversely by two different inspectors.
For information, this levy tax on sunshine is nothing new. Indeed, more than 300 years ago, King William III introduced this levy across Great Britain where people were taxed according to the amount of daylight entering their homes. As a result, many windows were bricked up! Financially speaking, it was an ingenious idea, but unfortunately rather inconvenient since electricity was not available!
So, according to you, will this legislation be enacted or not? Verdict on November 29th, for the vote!
