Supports for the economic activity were approved with an impact exceeding 1.1 million euros
Porto.
· 20 Dec 2021
Two proposals were approved unanimously at the private meeting of the Executive held on Monday, aimed at encouraging economic and commercial activity in the city, designed in the context of the pandemic, and which impact exceeds 1.1 million euros. The measures were designed to have an effect on the side of consumers, with discounts on purchases in local street shops, and also on traders, with the approval of exemptions from municipal taxes.
The support for economic, business, and commercial activity is materialized in the extension of the exemption from municipal taxes for the establishments and agents of the city's economic fabric, extending the measure in force for an additional six-month period, between January 1st and June 30th, 2022.
The attribution of this tax benefit to the city's economic fabric implies that Porto City Council will renounce a revenue of around 624 thousand euros.
Additionally, the Porto City Council unanimously approved the allocation of a maximum amount of 500 thousand euros to a program to encourage commercial activity associated with the Porto Card.
This initiative foresees the attribution of discount vouchers to Porto. Card holders, to be used in purchases made in the street, local and traditional commerce. Three numbered and sequential vouchers will be distributed, with a unit value of 5 euros, to be used in participating stores for purchases of 10 euros or more. The period for using the discount vouchers will run early next year, between February 14 and April 10.
"This is the third commercial activity support program that we have carried out since the beginning of the pandemic. We approved the first one in December 2020, another one in April 2021, and now we are approving the third one", stressed Porto City Councillor of Commerce, in response to a question from CDU Councillor Ilda Figueiredo.
"We wanted a program that puts the discount in the consumers' hands. We also wanted this discount not to occur at Christmas, for a very simple reason: there is already so much demand that it was almost spurious, it is a time of high consumption. We decided to extend this to a time when there is less consumption, between February and April", explained Ricardo Valente.
The strategy, added the councilman, was "to broaden the scope of economic activities to all the city's commerce". "We have 25,224 Porto. cards issued, of which 8062 are for young people, from 13 to 18, who use it in the logic of public transport. All the people who will apply for the card from now on will have access to the discounts between February and April", concluded Ricardo Valente, to illustrate the scope of the measure.
"People will be able to start collecting the vouchers right away. This kind of program works well when it has a defined time frame. The previous model didn't have much adhesion from the merchants but associating it with the Porto Card gives us the possibility of putting money in the residents' hands. It is more efficient. We have this instrument, of course, it is not universal, but it is an incentive for people to join the card, which has a number of benefits", praised the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira.
"We are very pleased with this proposal", admitted the BE Councillor, Sérgio Aires.
