The Portimão Council's intention to revoke the controversial Municipal Civil Protection Tax, manifested about two weeks ago by President Isilda Gomes, is classified by the opposition parties as an “electoralist” measure of the municipal executive.
Both the "Servir Portimão" coalition (CDS-PP/PPM/independents) and the Left Bloc accuse the socialist mayor Isilda Gomes of wanting to draw political dividends from this decision, at a time when there are few months to go before the Legislative Elections.
The "Servir Portimão" coalition, led by councilor José Pedro Caçorino, classifies the attitude that the executive adopted, at the time the matter was discussed and voted on at local level and in subsequent months, as "of intransigence, political autism and reiterated will persist in an illegal collection'. The criticism extends to the councilor elected by the PSD, who voted in line with the socialists.
«For unfathomable reasons, after 257 days, Dr. Isilda Gomes realized that after all the collection in question was not fundamental», adds the coalition, in a press release. For «Servir Portimão», or «the financial management of the municipality presents fantastic results or – more probable hypothesis – the President was untruthful during the controversial collection».
«We have all realized that the Mayor of Portimão is more concerned with the outcome of the legislative elections and its possible implications in terms of recruiting putative members of the next Government of the Republic than with the future of Portimão and the Portimão . What no one imagined, at least until now, is that Dr. Isilda Gomes would clearly condition the options she takes as Mayor to a personal agenda, in which issues of mere electoral opportunism overlap with the values of coherence, of truth , republican ethics and equality», they accuse.
In the case of BE/Portimão, led by another opposition councilor, João Vasconcelos, the indictment is directed not only at the PS, but also at the PSD and CDS-PP.
At issue, the recent lead, by these three parties, of a proposal that the Bloc presented to the Assembly of the Republic, which called for the reinforcement of the «prohibition of the creation of fees by Local Authorities for general services and of diffused benefit, as is the case provision of general services in the field of risk prevention and civil protection'.
"Thus, the positions expressed in Portimão by certain political forces, against the Municipal Civil Protection Tax, do so simply out of political tacticism and with an electoral nature," accuse the Portimão blocistas.
As for the repeal of the fee, the bloc welcomes the decision, stressing its pride for having "been at the forefront, together with other forces and with the people of Portimo, in the fight against the Municipal Civil Protection Tax", considering that this outcome means that, «after all, it is worth fighting».
Also the PSD from Portimão had already reacted to Isilda Gomes' announcement, considering that "the revocation of the Civil Protection Tax is due to all the Portimons who, in one way or another, have put pressure on the President to retreat or was forced to retreat!".
The president of the Portimão Chamber announced, at the 15th of July Chamber meeting, which will propose to the Executive Committee of the Municipal Support Fund (FAM) the revocation of the Municipal Civil Protection Tax.
Comments