VAT 13% will not lower prices restoration – Mad Money

The lowering of VAT in the restoration should not allow lower prices for consumers, admitted the secretary general of the Association of Restoration and Similar Portugal (AHRESP), in the International Tourism Forum debate sponsored by the Institute of Planning and Development tourism (IPDT) yesterday in Espinho. The priority of the oldest companies, he said, will recover profitability, recapitalize, requalify equipment and facilities and create new jobs.

“According to the Bank of Portugal, 69% of companies in the sector are at serious risk bankruptcy, “recalled the head of AHRESP. “We urgently need to recapitalize the company,” he said, recalling that older firms absorbed the increase of 77% VAT, five years ago, “without passing on to consumers.” So, if anything, the decline in VAT on restoration should “lower their prices in the stores more” muscular “and recently opened and that can make it to be more competitive.”

The profitability in the restoration and the hotel is also one of the main concerns of tourism in 2016, according to the Tourism Barometer prepared by IPDT. Although most business owners expect an improvement in all indicators, one in five fears the negative effect of reducing the quality of services or products and increasing the tax burden. The change of government and policies are the greatest fear of reason in the industry, which calls for a National Policy immune Tourism the governing cycles.

“The definition of a National Tourism Policy is my bet for , 10 years from now, we are not here to mourn a lost opportunity, “he said Ana Mendes Godinho, Tourism secretary of State (SET). But the implementation of this policy will inevitably bring new changes that entrepreneurs fear, is the level of tourism promotion of the entities that manage the strategy or the message itself, although all agree that it is urgent to strengthen the brand “Portugal”. Luis Veiga, president of the Association of Portugal Hospitality (AHP), said the Mad Money, which is being reviewed with the Legal Regime of Tourist Enterprises so that “there is supervision on site accommodation” and “to overturn the ordinance” that makes the stars the optional hotels -. ie reverse some of the “ultra-liberalism of the last three years the Government”

the SET is working on “new financial instruments for tourism companies” and by the end March will finalized a new funding plan routes. About the controversy of TAP and Porto, Ana Mendes Godinho said only that “it is only important that the destinations have air access and that there are many companies with international routes in the Port”. Jorge Costa, president of IPDT, believes that “other companies will take advantage of the routes abandoned by TAP,” may “the end result is still better than the one we had.”