Jose Luis Carneiro promises IRS to deduct mortgage interest

PS leadership candidate José Luis Carneiro promised this Friday to restore the IRS deduction of interest expenses on bank home loans if he is elected and wins the March legislative elections.

“I am committed to ensuring that families with bank loans for housing have a deduction from the IRS regarding the interest costs on these loans,” the socialist said upon arriving at a meeting with activists in Louros, in the municipality of Santa. Maria da Feira, Aveiro district.

The proposal, which is part of its strategic proposal, is “very important for all Portuguese,” he said.

Stating that the goal is to increase family income, José Luis Carneiro said the measure covers thousands of Portuguese families, especially young people who want to buy a house and who currently have very high housing costs.

“Many Portuguese families have mortgages, especially those of the middle class and young people,” he stressed.

Currently, interest expenses on loans can be deducted provided that they were taken out before the end of 2011, as well as for the purchase of a house for permanent residence or permanent rental.

However, in the area of ​​housing, the current Home Secretary is advocating a “national pact” of “a very significant increase in the public affordable housing stock and promoting the construction of new housing and the regeneration of cities for housing purposes by the private sector.” and the co-operative sector, aligning incentives where properties are designated for housing at controlled prices.”

According to José Luis Carneiro, in order to confront the crisis in this sector, it is necessary to “opportunistically support families who find it difficult to pay fees or rent, as well as respond immediately to the alarming increase in the number of homeless people.”

In the elections on December 15 and 16, Jose Luis Carneiro’s rivals for the leadership of the PS will be MP and former minister Pedro Nuno Santos and Socialist leader Daniel Adrian.