Vacant buildings in critical housing areas in Angra do Heroísmo are set to see their property tax (IMI) rate rise next year to at least twenty times the maximum rate (0.45% for urban buildings and 0.8% for rural buildings), according to official information from the local authority. The aim is to encourage renting or selling to facilitate access to housing. The local authority has so far issued around 160 summonses to owners of buildings considered vacant, with deadlines for them to contest the alleged vacancy of their properties.

The IMI rate in the classified area of Angra do Heroísmo should remain at 0.3%, with a 30% discount, and buildings that are themselves classified should be exempt, according to the same source. Rural areas considered difficult for human settlement should also be eligible for exemptions. These rates are expected to be submitted to the Angra local authority in December.

EXEMPTION AND REVERSAL

Properties located in historic centers included on the UNESCO World Heritage List benefited from automatic exemption from Municipal Property Tax (IMI) between 2019 and 2023, when this measure was abolished.

The exemption was decided by the Supreme Administrative Court, and collection was resumed through the enactment of Law No. 24/2023, which regulated the IMI on real estate in historic centers, allowing municipalities to apply specific rates. The decision to grant or not to grant the tax benefit of exemption or other is now the responsibility of the municipalities. Thus, owners of properties in historic centers classified by UNESCO (such as Porto, Guimarães, Évora, Sintra, Angra do Heroísmo, Óbidos, and Elvas) are not guaranteed exemption and should check with their local authority to see if the measure has been maintained.

According to a municipal source, the work of determining the rates to be applied in Angra do Heroísmo is delayed, as the Tax Authority has not yet uploaded all existing properties into its systems and is still entering the data into the computer system. To calculate the IMI value, multiply the IMI rate by the Tax Asset Value (VPT) of the building, i.e., the value of the property registered with the Tax Authorities.

In Diário Insualr-José Lourenço-driector

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