February 21, 2023 | 12:01 amLISBON — Portugal announced on Thursday a hefty package of measures to tackle a housing crisis, including the end of its controversial “Golden Visa” scheme and a ban on new licenses for Airbnbs and other short-term holiday rentals.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa said the crisis was now affecting all families, not just the most vulnerable. Left Bloc party MP Mariana Mortagua criticized the measures, saying the government was giving tax breaks to landlords who have already “benefited from speculation”. To address the housing shortage, Costa said the state would rent vacant houses direct from landlords for a period of five years and put them on the rental market.
Housing groups said the measures would mean little if the government continued to promote other policies to attract wealthy foreigners to Portugal, such as the “Digital Nomads Visa” introduced in October, which gives foreigners with high monthly income from remote work to live and work from Portugal without paying local taxes.