Portugal, a net recipient of EU funds, has agreed that raising additional taxes to fund the European refugee programme is a good idea but will avoid any measures that will cost Portuguese taxpayers any money.
Additional fuel tax and a Eurobond issue have been floated as ways to finance the cost of the refugee problem with Portugal's Minister so far keeping his opinion muted.
Portugal's stance is that proposals to create a European tax on fuels and a Eurobonds issue are ‘useful’ to help the costs of integrating refugees.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, said that "all proposals and suggestions, like those already made by the Italian and German Finance Ministers, are useful and should be carefully worked out technically and politically."
'Politically,' Portugal will not go for a fuel tax as PM António Costa already is using the country's motorists to fund much of his experimental socialiast agenda.
According to Augusto Santos Silva, "Portugal considers that the management of refugee flows will require substantial financial resources at a European level," and will opt for the scheme least likely to cost its taxpayers more money.
The minister said that the refugee issue demonstrates the need for the European Union to “adopt the issue and allocate funds that may not be in the current budget.”
Germany and Italy have been at the forefront by suggesting solutions with the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, suggesting in January that there should be a European tax on fuel “if it was necessary to raise additional funds.”
In an interview with the German daily, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Shäuble suggested that "if national budgets and the European budget are not sufficient, then we can make a deal to create, for example, a tax per litre of petrol."
Lisbon has decided not to reject any of the solutions offered so far but will be wary of any solution that hits taxpayers’ in their almost empty pockets.
The president of Portugal’s Refugee Council (CPR), Teresa Tito de Morais, said that "refugees have costs and Member States have to assume these costs."
But Morais Tito admitted to having "some reservations about the proposals that impose more sacrifices on EU citizens," fearing a backlash from those that would be affected by yet higher tax rates, especially on fuel.
The president of the Refugee Council believes that additional taxes are not necessary as there should be enough swilling around in the EU budget to pay for refugee costs, adding that before the question of money there’s the question of the member states agreeing to share the responsibility.
The leader of the Portuguese Support Platform for Refugees, Rui Marques, argues also that this is not so much to do with money, but that the core issue is the "political will of the member states to take on the legal obligations imposed by the Geneva Convention, but also the ethical and moral obligations for the reception of war refugees."
Despite noble sentiments, the member states yesterday agreed to extend for six months the border restrictions within the Shengen zone allowing Austria, Denmark and Sweden to continue with border controls, prompting protests from Slovenia and Greece.
