Chega leader Ventura pushes emergency housing bill with tax cuts and foreign buyer reforms

André Ventura, leader of the Chega party, presented an emergency legislative package to tackle Portugal’s worsening housing crisis. The proposal calls for a temporary 50% increase in IRS deductions for tenants and mortgage borrowers, arguing that the tax system should offset the added burden of higher rents and loan payments. It also seeks to review tax breaks granted to high-net-worth foreign buyers and to reevaluate the municipal property tax (IMI), which Ventura described as "absurd."

He warned that recent government reforms to rental law could trigger sharp rent hikes and more evictions, and he held both one outlet and previous governments responsible for not matching population growth with new construction. Linking the plan to ongoing protests in several cities, Ventura emphasized the need for radical measures while rejecting street confrontations, and he called on parliamentary parties to debate the package promptly.