The tax authorities shall assign automatic exemptions of IMI – Diário de Notícias – Lisbon

Divisions of Finance receive thousands of applications per year and through the Portal they arrive, on average, ten thousand

The internal revenue service will assign automatically the exemption from municipal property tax (IMI) that can benefit the families that buy a house to live in. The measure is in the proposed State Budget (OE) for 2017 and will simplify life for thousands of people.

To be entitled to this exemption of IMI, which is granted for a maximum period of three years, it is necessary that the house in question has a taxable value (VPT) that does not exceed 125 thousand euro. In determining this limit value, the tax administration also takes into account the storerooms, garages and storage. Another of the conditions is that the annual income tax base (income for income tax purposes) of the taxpayer or his or her household is lower than the 153 300 euros.

Who until now meet these requirements could move forward with a request for exemption from IMI, making it through an application to a tax office or on the website of the Tax and Customs Authority. Many chose this electronic means: 11 649 in the last year and this year the count is already more than 9699 requests. But from January 2017, and if the text of the draft law of the Budget of the State do not suffer here changes, this exemption shall be made by the Tax Authority without the necessity of any intervention of the owner.

The exemption shall be automatic in situations of acquisition onerous ( … ), based on the elements of the Tax and Customs Authority available to it”, refers to the OE 2017. In all other situations, this tax benefit is recognized “by the head of service of Finance of the area of the situation of the building, on application duly reasoned”.

In question is more a measure that, in the row of the Simplex, “come to make life easier for taxpayers,” recognizes Miguel Torres, of the fiscal area of Telles de Abreu. It should be noted, however, that this exemption can only be awarded twice to the same taxpayer and one of the most practical methods of quick and the tax authorities realize that the new house is intended for permanent residence of the household is to change the address the tax Portal of the Finance and also on the Citizen Card.

Opening to negotiate new IMI

João Vieira Lopes, the president of the Confederation of Trade and Services of Portugal (CCP), however, assured yesterday that the government has shown openness to discuss the changes to the Additional of IMI. Contrary to what happens with the buildings licensed to industry or allocated to the tourist activity, real estate for trade and services are not exempt from the new IMI. The proposal of the OE provides that from January 2017 the current stamp duty applied to buildings of VPT above one million euros, to be replaced by a and added to the IMI-which operates by the owner in part of your heritage in excess of 600 thousand euros.

Trade and services are two of the most affected sectors by this additional to the IMI and led the president of the CCP to threaten not to sign a social dialogue agreement.

“Until the approval of the OE 2017 there will be chances of the government to correct its position (…), how is it that the government wants to sign agreements if one of the sectors that he represents is being discriminated against? To be clarified the question, there are no conditions for an agreement,” he cautioned João Vieira Lopes.