DIÁRIO reported, on Friday, that the Regional Government of Madeira is considering the creation of a new tax to be paid by those renting a car. The fee should be two euros per day, for each rental car. The news triggered about a hundred comments, distributed through various social networks.
One of the readers noted that the overwhelming majority of Madeirans understand that tourists and car rental are the main ones responsible for many of the congestion problems in high tourist areas and throughout the island of Madeira, which has dramatically increased since Covid-19.
But will the fee actually manage traffic congestion effectively? Where will the money go? And what will it be spent on? People are already paying a tourist tax, and yet places around Pico Ruivo and Pico do Areeiro are described as open-air latrines.
The government has announced that rent-a-car companies must have mandatory parking. However, after last year’s incident, when the queues at Pingo Doce in the Lido became extreme due to car hire companies occupying spaces in the supermarket car park, the question remains: where and what will they use for parking now?
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
