Increase Police roadside checks

[sunman]

Thats the same the whole world over including the UK.
But these views will not hold any water with the GNR or the Transitos if you are stopped in your overstayed UK reg car or any other nationality for that matter.
The world we live in is far from perfect and if you want a quiet life stay out of trouble and avoid becoing an obvious target.
Don,t worry about those things you can do nothing about.
Portugals policies and rules about car tax being just one of them.

what's the point in living in a democracy if you feel you can't do anything about draconian rules imposed on you?

a major cause of the problems we all face in the EU at this moment (and it does worry me as I have children and will soon become a grandparent for the first time so I'm concerned for their futures) is the accepted cultural norms in a lot of countries to avoid paying tax; and I neither choose to ignore it nor just accept it EMM because its led to the value of all our properties going down & lots of friends businesses hitting hard times or going under

The EU is half cocked; we have a central bank and an administrative centre and yet we allow countries such as Portugal to make their own silly laws and (mis)manage their own budgets; what SHOULD happen is that VW roll a car out and say, 'ok, this one costs €15,000', and that price apply across the EU, whose ethos after all is 'the free movement of goods, labour & services';

countries need to decide (soon) if they want to be in a one state system or not, you can't pick and choose, and the sooner they make their minds up the better because it's dragging the whole world down at the moment; EU youth unemployment is already over 50%, and in my book they deserve a better future from us. and by the way I'm as concerned about the families and youngsters here in Portugal as I am my own or anywhere else

[EMM]

A "common " market in the price of services and goods is an unrealistic idea as is a universal tax regime.
Are you saying that the UK should also follow the same rules as Portugal. Spain, France and Germany.
Would you want the higher income tax regimes of Germany to apply across Europe.
Germany is a huge economy compared to Portugal to apply the same conditions in both countries would be impossible.
Which is why Merkel is fighting so hard to prevent Germany becoming the banker for the next round of bailouts.
Portugals tax regime and management of the economy has had little to do with the decline in the property market, the prime cause is the global banking crisis , the lack of credit and the recession in the US and Europe that followed.
Fortunately Portugal is not Spain or Greece. where things are very much worse.
By staying in the Euro and abiding by the conditions of the troika Portugal is avoiding the rampant inflation and real collapse in property values that would result if Portugal returned to the Escudo.

[EMM]

A "common " market in the price of services and goods is an unrealistic idea as is a universal tax regime.
Are you saying that the UK should also follow the same rules as Portugal. Spain, France and Germany.
Would you want the higher income tax regimes of Germany to apply across Europe.
Germany is a huge economy compared to Portugal to apply the same conditions in both countries would be impossible.
Which is why Merkel is fighting so hard to prevent Germany becoming the banker for the next round of bailouts.
Portugals tax regime and management of the economy has had little to do with the decline in the property market, the prime cause is the global banking crisis , the lack of credit and the recession in the US and Europe that followed.
Fortunately Portugal is not Spain or Greece. where things are very much worse.
By staying in the Euro and abiding by the conditions of the troika Portugal is avoiding the rampant inflation and real collapse in property values that would result if Portugal returned to the Escudo.

[widge]

A "common " market in the price of services and goods is an unrealistic idea as is a universal tax regime.
Are you saying that the UK should also follow the same rules as Portugal. Spain, France and Germany.
Would you want the higher income tax regimes of Germany to apply across Europe.
Germany is a huge economy compared to Portugal to apply the same conditions in both countries would be impossible.
Which is why Merkel is fighting so hard to prevent Germany becoming the banker for the next round of bailouts.
Portugals tax regime and management of the economy has had little to do with the decline in the property market, the prime cause is the global banking crisis , the lack of credit and the recession in the US and Europe that followed.
Fortunately Portugal is not Spain or Greece. where things are very much worse.
By staying in the Euro and abiding by the conditions of the troika Portugal is avoiding the rampant inflation and real collapse in property values that would result if Portugal returned to the Escudo.

Key areas that have been handed over to Brussels in the past, like agriculture and fishing as well as foreign, security and defence policy, have proven controversial. Human rights, health & safety and employment law have all been implemented on a euro wide basis & some countries have a common currency. It follows that political & fiscal unification are just a few years away. UK will have to hold a referendum to determine if we're in or out?

[EMM]

Merkel is starting to tal about a " unified Europe " which is the death nell for this idea as to many all that means is a Europe controlled by Germany.
If this means Germany financing the idea then the German electorate will never let it happen .
The UK will never agree to politcal union as will many other EU members.

[Octopus]

Been stopped 3 times since yesterday morning (twice in Vilamoura, once in Silves) this is getting a bit silly now

If I had insurance and a drivers license yesterday morning, then still had them at lunch time today, its a fair bet I was going to still be driving legally when they waste my time and check them again this evening... can't they just flag up registration plates as checked and okay or something?

I could understand it if they were breathalising me each time... but it was nothing other than license, registration, insurance.

[ron5000]

Undoubtedly the car you are driving, they want to have a look at it plus you wound them up on the motorway, change the car or the plates. Had the same thing several years ago with a then new shape range rover which was rare here at the time on yuk plates. Record was stopped 4 times between Lagos and guia on the same trip, they just wanted to look at the car

[Octopus]

Wasn't my own car, it was my girlfriends. Just a 'normal' car, certainly nothing that would warrant any attention.

[cereza]

1) A "common " market in the price of services and goods is an unrealistic idea as is a universal tax regime.

2) Are you saying that the UK should also follow the same rules as Portugal. Spain, France and Germany.
Would you want the higher income tax regimes of Germany to apply across Europe.
Germany is a huge economy compared to Portugal to apply the same conditions in both countries would be impossible.

3) By staying in the Euro and abiding by the conditions of the troika Portugal is avoiding the rampant inflation and real collapse in property values that would result if Portugal returned to the Escudo.

1) As unrealistic as a common currency

2) That is exactly what they are trying to do now with the Euro. Thankfully we are not in the Euro!

3) It will also result in drastic changes to the Tax system under a unified EU !!!!

[cereza]

Thats the same the whole world over including the UK.
But these views will not hold any water with the GNR or the Transitos if you are stopped in your overstayed UK reg car or any other nationality for that matter.
The world we live in is far from perfect and if you want a quiet life stay out of trouble and avoid becoing an obvious target.
Don,t worry about those things you can do nothing about.
Portugals policies and rules about car tax being just one of them.

what's the point in living in a democracy if you feel you can't do anything about draconian rules imposed on you?

Fully agree Sunman.
Whilst obeying the law it is also possible to voice your disagreement with it or as Mr Bumble said:-
" If that is the law then the law is an ass!"

[steve]

Got pulled over by the garages near Pera on the 125 on my return from shopping at Guia today at about 3 pm. A seeming very young GNR officer was courteous and there was no problem with my documentation (PT registered car but English driving licence). The only rather odd feature was that he asked me if I drank alcohol. I replied truthfully that I am teetotal - expecting to be asked to take a breath test as has happened to me in the past - but was then waved on my way with a cheery boa tarde.

[laserblazer]

How long can you drive a pt registered car on a UK licence?

[steve]

For the period that the licence is valid.You don't have to surrender your UK licence and get a Portuguese licence when you take up residence here but you do have to register the UK licence with the IMMT (formerly DVG) and notify any subsequent change of address. In my experience the GNR do not often ask for proof that the licence has been registered with the IMMT when they operate routine stops.

[Octopus]

The tax authorities have also authorised the inspection of vehicles with a value of €50,000 or more to cross-reference the ownership details with the income declarations of the owner.

In fact the new operational measures to stop, harass and delay motorists are guaranteed to increase the fear and hatred of these sorts of random roadside checks. As for the €50,000 value excuse to probe into peoples' lives what will be next? The owners of a rolex watch asked to 'accompany me down to the station?' All in all a poor day for freedom of movement and freedom from state interference in our everyday lives.

What a joke that is, talk about big brother. Thats more the sort of thing I'd have expected in UK than here.

[HampshireRich]

The tax authorities have also authorised the inspection of vehicles with a value of €50,000 or more to cross-reference the ownership details with the income declarations of the owner.

In fact the new operational measures to stop, harass and delay motorists are guaranteed to increase the fear and hatred of these sorts of random roadside checks. As for the €50,000 value excuse to probe into peoples' lives what will be next? The owners of a rolex watch asked to 'accompany me down to the station?' All in all a poor day for freedom of movement and freedom from state interference in our everyday lives.

What a joke that is, talk about big brother. Thats more the sort of thing I'd have expected in UK than here.

You wouldn't get that sort of behaviour in the UK - we're far more civilised than that!!