IL and Madeira budget for 2027 with housing measures

A Liberal/Madeira Initiative today argued that the Regional Budget for 2027 should incorporate tax reduction measures On oil products (ISP) and the creation of a programme to convert public heritage to housing.

“ At this juncture, we have two absolutely unavoidable topics, which are the issue of housing and fuel prices and their consequences on the cost of living,” said the regional coordinator of IL, Gonçalo Maia Camel, to journalists after meeting with the Secretary of Finance of the Regional Government of Madeira (PSD/CDS-PP), Duarte Freitas.

The ruler will today welcome representatives of all parties with seats at the Legislative Assembly of Madeira (PSD, CDS-PP, JPP, PS, Aquida and IL) as part of the preparation of the Regional Budget for 2027.

Gonçalo Maia Camel argued that the national and regional budgets are not “to make reforms”, being “essentially financial, financial options, which does not mean that they do not incorporate concrete solutions”.

For this reason, the party informed the Madeiran Finance Secretary that “it is necessary to look at fuel taxation”, considering it essential “some restraint or reduction at ISP level”.

At the housing level, he defended “that it is not enough to build public housing”, that “it is an important tool, but it will not solve all the problems”.

“ So we insisted on something that we had already proposed last year, which is to create a regional programme for the use or conversion of public heritage that is returned and unused,” he said.

The IL’s only deputy in the regional parliament admitted that “this is already being done on a small scale” in Madeira.

But, he added, it must be “generally done with the recovery of existing buildings and with the use of land, which are many, and put them at the service of the population”.

Another concern mentioned by IL was the question of “evolution of tourism activity” in the region.

“ It seems to us that the exponential phase of growth in tourism and prices has ended and this can create an additional rush on the regional economy, both in terms of revenue and financial balance of companies and in terms of employment,” he said.

The IL elect also warned of the possibility of “serious problems if tourism slows down or even registers sharp falls”.