Port­­­uguese businessman "embarrassed" by Portugal's minimum wage

yachtPatrick Monteiro de Barros confessed to "shame" at Portugal’s €485 minimum wage, "one of the lowest in all of Europe," also accusing politicians of an unwillingness to fight this injustice.

"I am ashamed," he said at the 'Business in Box' conference in Lisbon today.

Patrick Monteiro de Barros is one of the richest men in Portugal, a keen Olympic yachtsman with a handful of surprising and risky business ventures under his belt which earned him the financial status he enjoys today.

Portuguese purchasing power is 8 times that of Moldovia

pensioner Portuguese purchasing power is still €3,000 below the European average.  Portugal occupies the 20th place in terms of per capita purchasing power in Europe, lying in the middle of the list of 42 countries surveyed by research firm GfK.

Each inhabitant has an annual purchasing power average of €10,018, about three thousand euros below the European average of €12,890.

Spanish government challenged over property push

spanishpropertyNot yet having recovered from its reputation of corrupt building practices and bulldozing houses, the Spanish government is now being accused of promoting illegal houses to potential expat buyers.

At present, some estimated three million houses in the country are still without owners since the market crashed in 2007.

British pension just surpasses Mexican one

britishmoneyBritain's state pension is among the least generous in the developed world.

Only people in Mexico receive less from their government on retirement, a study has found for the Organisation for Economic Co–operation and Development.

Capital Gains Tax could hit expats with UK property

cottageThe British Chancellor is working on plans to charge capital gains tax on wealthy foreigners buying property in the UK, but the initiative could wind up affecting expats as well.

 

It has been reported that George Osborne is planning to announce that capital gains tax will be charged on British property sold by expats.

 

Monte Gordo set for five nights of festive partying

fireworksAs an antidote to miserly and short-sighted councils such as Faro and Lagoa that are not even having Christmas lights this year, Monte Gordo is hosting a major five day event leading up to New Year’s Eve to see off the current recession blues and show how having fun actually can be... fun.

From the 27th of December for five nights VRSA appears to be the in place starting with a Retro night featuring Katia Aveiro – Ronaldo’s sister - followed by Wildboys Red One, responsible for hits by Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez. Of suspect inclusion there is a Michael Jackson tribute performer, followed by Flashback Brothers and Bruno Lawrence.

Women in Portugal do not want more babies

babyMost women (51%) and almost half (46%) of men living in Portugal already have children and do not intend to have any more, according to a survey released today.

The Fertility Survey 2013 conducted by the National Statistics Institute in partnership with the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation was carried out between January 16 and April 15 and was aimed at women in Portugal aged between 18 and 49 years, and men aged between 18 and 54 years old.

Portugal comes last in 'hotels with internet' survey

hotel3Portugal ranks last among the 35 countries surveyed to see if they provided internet access for guests in their hotel rooms, according to a report released by hotel booking website Trivago.

Portugal’s low percentage (45.21%) showed that fewer than half of its hotels provided guests with this travel essential.

First on the list is the USA where 90% of the hotels surveyed provided internet in guests’ rooms.