The Azambuja municipality has been waiting for over a decade for a response from the central government regarding the rehabilitation of 158 state-owned residential units, including 96 homes in the former Outeiro and Vale de Judeus neighbourhoods once used by prison guards.
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The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing stated the government is working to speed up the transfer of over 83,000 public properties to municipalities to increase affordable housing supply. Of these, approximately 30,000 are rural and ineligible for residential conversion. The government also targets an annual construction capacity of 70,000 to 80,000 homes by 2031, acknowledging the current housing crisis requires interim social support.
The Left Bloc (BE) has proposed 350 amendments to the 2027 State Budget, including a new 3% tax on revenue from online advertising, intermediation, and user data sales by digital giants. The proposals also aim to restrict house purchases by investment funds based in low-tax jurisdictions and reverse cuts to unemployment benefits.
Mayors in municipalities such as Alcanena, Loulé, and Guimarães report ongoing bureaucratic and financial hurdles when trying to acquire idle state-owned buildings and land to convert into local housing stock.