The Southern Administrative Court in Lisbon has upheld an injunction requesting the suspension of ANA’s new ‘per hire’ tax on car rentals which started on April 1st.
The legal move was made last week by the Association of Rent-a-Car Companies in the Algarve (ARAC) and the unexpected news of the successful legal move came just days after ANA had taken a page in a national newspaper to explain the new charges.
The Lisbon court now allows airports operator ANA ten days within which to present its written arguments. After that, there will be a period of 30 days while the court deliberates and then issues its final decision.
"We believe that the new regulation is unconstitutional and will continue to challenge it," said Joaquim Robalo Almeida, secretary general of the Associação dos Industriais de Aluguer de Automóveis sem Condutor.
Ler mais em: http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/nacional/economia/nova-taxa-de-aeroporto-suspensaThe head of the car rental association, Armando Santana, is satisfied with the decision but warns that it is not the final one. The association boss claimed the move by airports operator ANA was illegal and has managed to persuade the judge to suspend its continuation.
"This was a charge imposed by a unilateral decision. We heard of it through the media," said Santana talking to Sul Informaçao, who explained that his argument had been accepted that the charging of this new fee implied the provision of a service, which may not strictly be the case.
Santana says the fight goes beyond the rent-a-car sector as the new tax affects “tourism and the entire region," noting that both the mayors’ group AMAL and the Algarve Tourist Board is aligned with his association.
The National Tourist Authority, local police and councils were consulted before ANA imposed the new tax and did not register any objections.
As quoted by Sul Informaçao, Santana concluded "the final victory will not be for the Association of Rent-a-car Companies in the Algarve, it will be for the whole Algarve region.”
