The PSD president said this Thursday that the measures announced by the government to soften the rise in housing interest rates “come late” and are limited, ensuring that if he were prime minister he would be “more ambitious”.
Speaking to journalists in Escarupima (Salvaterra de Magos) as part of the “Sentir Portugal” initiative dedicated this week to the Santarem region, Luis Montenegro stressed that he does not want to always appear negative and critical, acknowledging that the measures announced today in the Council of Ministers , have positive aspects.
“But the measures that the government proposes today come late, the government always acts late,” he accused, saying that in February the PSD had already presented a measure similar to the one that prevents higher interest rates from affecting the economy. such a significant path in home loans that he considered even “more comprehensive” than the executive branch.
According to Montenegro, the PSD proposal would suspend the application of interest – on the excess portion resulting from rate increases – for a period of two to five years, allowing it to be compensated only at the end of the loan term.
The government has already approved that a request to establish an installment plan for a housing loan can be made for two years – with banks until the end of the first quarter of 2024 – after which the master contract regime will return and, after four years [dois mais dois]Repayment begins with each monthly payment of the amount not paid during the first two years.
“This measure is better than nothing, better late than never, but it seems very restrictive to me,” Montenegro said, warning that the “expected duration of two years” is “very short.”
“It is not expected that the situation in two years will be much more favorable as the inflation rate takes time to decline,” he said.
Montenegro also expressed regret that the government did not listen to the “forces of society” and political parties, stressing that the PSD “proposed a sincere measure” that was rejected by the absolute majority of the PS.
“If we were a government we would be more ambitious, if we were prime minister we would invest heavily in cutting taxes on youth and on working incomes,” he said.
Despite this, Montenegro admitted that other “positive measures”, such as the absence of fees for early repayment of loans and an increase in the bonus, are “positive”.
“The real benefit that will happen, based on the modeling I just saw, could be from 70 euros to more than a hundred euros (…) The government is acting little ambitious and late,” he repeated.
This Thursday, the Council of Ministers approved three measures in the housing lending sector to mitigate the impact of rising interest rates on families.
One of the measures ensures that the interest rate does not exceed 70% of the index (Euribor), while the other extends the support for interest subsidies on home loans from 720 to 800 euros.
The government is also maintaining the suspension of fees for early repayment of home loans.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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