Pedro Coelho, a Madeiran deputy in the Assembly of the Republic, has spoken out against the requirement that Madeira residents must have no outstanding debts to either the tax authorities or Social Security to qualify for the air mobility subsidy between Madeira, the mainland, and the Azores. Approximately 13,500 people are in tax arrears (irregularities).
Flanked by deputies Vânia Jesus and Paulo Neves, the Madeiran deputy reinforced that those elected by the PSD in the regional circle have been “on the side of Madeira and Porto Santo, stating they have a new strategy.
At a press conference, Coelho explained that the idea is to present a proposal to the Assembly of the Republic in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, to repeal the two Ordinances and the Decree-Law that came into force on the 6th of January this year. The proposal would first be approved in the regional parliament, before being considered and voted on as a matter of urgency in the national parliament.
Still on the controversy that the changes to mobility have raised, Pedro Coelho believes that the problem could have been solved by other means, considering that “it is unacceptable to look at or assume the Social Mobility Allowance as an instrument of tax coercion.
One solution could be for the State to pay the airlines directly, with the Madeirans only bearing the value of the fare. In Pedro Coelho’s proposal, declarations of the non-existence of debts to Finance and Social Security would then be required from airlines.
Surely, the airline would require a statement of accountability from the passenger, meaning a tax or social security declaration would become a legal requirement during booking. So, nothing is really gained, since either CTT or the airline would still need a declaration.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
Views: 3
