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ACRAL wants a fund to combat the 'negative effects of IKEA'

acralThe Association of Commerce and Services of the Algarve Region (ACRAL) has begun a series of meetings with regional politicians to complain about the EN125, IKEA and the dire state of the region’s high streets.

The president of the association, Álvaro Viegas, has already talked to the Portuguese Communist Party, led by Paulo Sá, and the Social Democratic Party’s José Carlos Barros and Cristóvão Norte.

Over the next week, Viegas wants to meet MPs from the Left Bloc, the CDS-PP and the Socialists.

In the meetings so far, Viegas has been explaining the proposals and concerns of the association, notably over the completion of the EN125 redevelopment work, especially the section that has not even been started yet between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António.

"The resumption of works on the current section is good news, but there is no information on the launch of tenders for the redevelopment of the next section under the jurisdiction of Infraestruturas de Portugal," said Viegas, who should not be surprised at any lack of information from the Ministry of from Infraestruturas de Portugal.

The president of ACRAL also explained, as he already has done to the Algarve’s mayors, that he wants to set up a Local Trade Compensation Fund, where the money raised would be spent on combating the negative effects on local businesses when Ikea opens this summer.

This Compensation Fund would be filled by money from businesses: "we propose the Compensation Fund receives a percentage of the money received by the municipalities from licensing fees and fines," summarised Viegas, realising that the fund would be at expense of councils' budgeted incomes so has little chance of seeing the light of day, at least in this financial year.

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Comments  

+1 #3 liveaboard 2017-01-13 00:31
I also want a fund that taxes others and pays the money to me.
Can I get details on how to go about it?
+2 #2 dw 2017-01-12 01:35
IKEA is a global corporate tax avoider. Real competition is impossible when the multinationals have an unfair advantage. The OECD, IMF and EU are just the puppets of global capital so naturally favour the usual usual corporate stitchup.
0 #1 Daphne 2017-01-11 20:18
Portugal has for years repeatedly been labelled by OCDE, IMF, EU etc etc as seriously anti-competitive, particularly to foreigners. This ACRAL outfit is only noticeable because IKEA is a major international player and forced its opposition groups to put up or shut up. ACRAL and so many others nationwide normally would be hustling - and winning - to stop competition in the background.

But has any Portuguese decision maker ever fully grasped what the European Unions Growth Pact, that they signed up to in 1986 under then PM Soares, is all about? If only in his memory - lets us have some real foreign competition that would help Portugal 'evolve'. !

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