Solutions to combat the housing crisis and tax cuts were topics raised in the debate between Liberal Initiative (IL) president Rui Rocha and Bloc de Esquerda (BE) coordinator Mariana Mortagua. In a face-to-face meeting in which they disagreed on virtually every issue, Rui Rocha and Mariana Mortagua highlighted inconsistencies and problems in the parties’ programs. The Liberal stated that “spreading poverty is a BE proposal” and the Blocker noted that “all IL is telling the country is that it wants to issue checks to the private sector.”
According to Rui Rocha, the Bloc de Esquerda’s proposals to combat the housing crisis are “unfeasible.” We are talking about a budget set for the construction of 80 thousand houses. “Only if you want to place four or five people in T0. (…) I don’t understand these numbers,” he emphasized.
Mariana Mortagua responded by saying that in the current scenario there are already “four or five people living in one house” and therefore prices will need to be reduced.
“The question is whether people are looking for a home to live in or a luxury item to stay in and relax,” Mortagua said.
The BE coordinator also noted that the market is hindering the construction of affordable housing as construction companies have realized the profits they could make from luxury properties. “Nothing prevents construction companies from building affordable housing, they are stopped by the market,” he emphasized.
Rui Rocha stressed the importance of the real estate market and the construction of more houses for both Portuguese and foreigners. Liberals have discounted the idea that local housing and the luxury market are worsening the housing crisis.
During the debate, the privatization of companies was also discussed. Rui Rocha said he agreed with the privatization of Caixa Geral de Depósitos, arguing that “the state should take care of health, education, justice and defense” rather than “suffocating” taxpayers’ money.
A liberal who claims to be focused on growing the country proposes to lower the IRC so that large companies allow young people to settle in Portugal.
When accused of representing the “party of the rich,” Rui Rocha declared that “there is nothing more social than economic growth.”
Mortagua then said that there are four presidents of large companies who earn eight million euros a year and to whom IL wants to give “free” 2.2 billion euros a year. He accused the party of not touching the profits of speculation and “just wanting to hand out checks to the private sector.”
After all, Rui Rocha criticized the Left Bloc’s measures, even saying they said nothing about economic growth.
“Poverty distribution is a BE proposal. (..,)There is nothing about growth in the Left Bloc. The message is clear: what has happened so far will continue to happen: more stagnation and more immigration,” he condemned.