Last winter’s tax amnesty programme cost the state €494 million, according to a response from the Ministry of Finance to a question in Parliament.
The well publicised tax amnesty allowed those paying before the 2013 year end legally to avoid most interest charges, fines and court costs on money claimed by the state in taxes and fines.
The General Council of Portugal’s Bar Association has expressed its "vehement rejection" of the new judicial map for Portugal which will see many of the nation's courts close completely while others are to be downgraded.
The Association's Council said that it expresses solidarity with those affected by the closures by its rejection of the reduction in the number of courts in the country whereby “many council areas now have their court in regional capitals, twenty courts are to close, and a further 27 downgraded to mere ‘counter service’ and of the measures included in the approved legislation which affect citizens’ rights and freedoms, and the guarantee for citizens of the fundamental principle of access to justice and the rule of law.”
Portugal’s industrial production rose by 0.7% in December, marking the third consecutive month of growth.
In contrast, the December average for all 17 eurozone countries was a contraction of 0.7% when compared to November.
Descendants of the Sephardic Jewish community which lived in Spain 500 years ago are being asked to return and take up dual citizenship.
Spain's government has approved a draft bill that will allow them citizenship. When approved, the new law could embrace up to 3.5 million people worldwide from a broad range of countries, including Israel, the Netherlands, Mexico, France, the US, Turkey, Argentina and Chile.
A man suspected of being a member of the notorious gang of jewel thieves has been arrested in Spain.
The group has carried out raids on many high end jewellery shops, including a number on the French Riviera as well as London, Tokyo and Dubai, robbing some £100 million worth of gems.
The next tranche of money from the EC’s Community Support Framework heading to the Algarve aims to support people and businesses rather than to shovel money at infrastructure projects and buildings.
The Chairman of the Committee for Coordination and Regional Development in the Algarve (CCDR) David Santos today revealed how these new EU funds will be used in the Algarve in the 2014 to 2020 period, but declined to specify projects until after a meeting of the Regional Council on February 17th.
A study analysing over 11,000 appointments in Portugal’s public administration has concluded that it is still a case of 'jobs for the boys' for the ruling classes with posts being handed out in order to control public administration, and as rewards.
The study coordinator, Patricia Silva from Aveiro University said that the 'jobs for the boys' problem stems from two motivations in central government. Firstly a desire to control and execute government policy, and secondly in reward for past services or to ensure services will be rendered in the future.
Two more churches in Faro and Tavira have been classified as monuments of public interest, according to a notice published in the Official Gazette.
One is the church of São Pedro in Faro, dating back to 1518 "then consisting of a small chapel founded by fishermen living in the Ribeira district," and was rebuilt by the Order of Santiago in the second half of the sixteenth century.
The other is the Church of São José do Hospital (or of the Espírito Santo) in Tavira, "a rare specimen in the Algarve of a baroque octagonal church."
