Minister highlights gains in the interior with new local finances and decentralization

The Minister of the Interior considers that the municipalities of the interior will benefit the most from the respect of the law on the local finances and the decentralization of the powers to the municipalities, which are under discussion in the parliament . because these are the ones in which transfers weigh most on local revenues, are those who will benefit most from full compliance with the Local Finance Law and with an impact on their territories of the ability to decide, manage, public policies in areas such as Eduardo Cabrita told the Lusa news agency

that the government official responsible for the reopening of public services responded that "the deconcentrated state services should have a dimension of proximity. "

" Municipalities with more means can identify "

The Minister noted that" all areas of decentralization correspond to a broad exercise of skills "and that" it is essential to incorporate what are the areas where there is already a great local experience, such as education, in new areas like health. "

" But areas such as management of protected areas or management of beaches or port management areas "

The Socialist leader stressed that" the framework law of decentralization is accompanied by a thorough review of the local finance law, which determines the largest increase in resource transfers ever verified. "

In addition to convergence over the next three years for full compliance with the finance law With a differential recovery of 260 million euros, divided by 61 million next year, 61 million in 2020 and 97 million in 2021, municipalities will have additional tax revenues.

"This allows us to point to a growth of about 200 million euros of local funding in the budget of the State 2019. New forms of revenue are provided in territorialized VAT, which will support the municipalities with a significant impact on the expenses resulting from tourist flows […]

In the revision of the law on finances local, there is also the "end of the state exemption in the IMI [Imposto Municipal sobre Imóveis]" for unused buildings and the creation of the decentralization fund, with the transfer of "millions of Euros corresponding to the expenditure s currently engaged by the various departments of the central administration. "

In a document sent to Associação Naci Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP), transfers accounted for 797.8 million for education, 83 million for health, 7.6 million for housing and 1.1 million for culture, according to the data

Concerning the difficulties of consensualization with the municipalities of the powers of the parishes, Eduardo Cabrita acknowledged that they reside, fundamentally, in the "role of the municipal organs in their definition of resources and means of decentralization to parishes ", ie" The challenge of decentralization is at all levels, it is also a challenge for municipalities. "

Delay in the process of decentralization was justified because it was the "most profound reform of the state."

This is an example of unanimity in defending decentralization in congresses of ANMP and Associati on N. (19659002) "The experience of a consensus that has been so broad that it has been possible to build on the transfer of powers to municipalities and parishes, we should start a way where I see as very positive the approval by the Assembly of the Republic of the law that constitutes the Independent Commission for Decentralization, "he said.

The independent commission, approved with votes in favor of socialist and social-democratic supporters "next year, will study, without taboos and without ghosts, the sub-national organization of the State at the national level. regional, metropolitan and intercommunal ", said Eduardo Cabrita