“Why can’t we do in Lisbon what we do in municipalities led by presidents of the CDU (PCP/PEV)?” asked the social democrat, at the Lisbon Municipal Assembly, as part of the discussion of the proposal for the municipal budget 2024.

The PSD mayor considered the PS and CDU “cannot be ideological” when it comes to the vote against the exemption from IMT (Municipal Tax on Property Transfers) for young people in Lisbon, which they made possible in other municipalities, namely in Vila Franca de Xira and in Setúbal.

Despite not having received an answer as to why this measure failed in Lisbon, Carlos Moedas concluded: “There will be an IMT exemption in Lisbon, we just don’t know when, but there will be”.

On November 29, as a part of the discussion of Lisbon’s municipal budget for 2024, opposition councillors, namely PS, PCP, Cidadãos Por Lisboa, rejected the proposal from “Novos Tempos” (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança) to exempt young people from IMT until 35 years of age, when purchasing your own permanent home in the municipality, up to a value of €300 thousand.

On December 5, the Mayor of Lisbon reiterated the importance of the IMT exemption for young people and suggested presenting a proposal “just like that” of the municipality of Setúbal, approved with votes in favour of the CDU (PCP/PEV).

In defence of the CDU’s position, PCP deputy Natasha Amaro stated that “the proposal approved in Setúbal is not the same as that in Lisbon”, noting that in Setúbal the IMT exemption for young people is for the purchase of their own and permanent home, up to €200 thousand, while in Lisbon the maximum value proposed was €300 thousand.

The value “is not the fundamental issue”, explaining that the IMT exemption in Setúbal was proposed by the PSD and its approval “was an essential condition for the PSD to make the municipal budget for 2024 viable.”

In Vila Franca de Xira, the proposal was approved with the value of €150 thousand for the purchase of a permanent home below the age of 35.