![]() Even in the south where it’s often t-shirt weather outside (for foreigners), it can be freezing cold inside due to the lack of heating and insulation in many houses. Winter Aveiro in winterĪlthough most people associate Portugal with beaches and sunshine, a lot of Portugal, particularly the north, can be very damp and wet in the winter. There’s an expense, sure, but it can be worth it for the peace of mind.īureaucracy isn’t unique to Portugal, and it’s something you’ll come across in many European countries like Spain, Italy, and Germany, but Portugal does take bureaucracy to new levels. These days, there are an ever-increasing number of professionals that focus on the expat market and can help you apply for your D7, import your car, obtain your NIF, or anything else that you need to do. It’s messy and frustrating, and it’s also just something you’ll have to get used to if you live in Portugal – well, to varying degrees. And, it’s quite rare that anyone ever tells you: you will need to figure these things out for yourself and hope that when you speak to a different person they’re looking for the same form. The hardest part is that you never know which form you need to fill in or which person you need to speak to. Most people know that bureaucracy exists in Portugal, and aren’t surprised when they come up against it. The hardest part of bureaucracy isn’t the bureaucracy itself. Try to get anything done in Portugal, whether it’s starting a business or applying for planning permission, and you’ll run into a little thing called bureaucracy. Instead, weigh up the pros against the cons and then, being honest with yourself, decide if Portugal is right for you. Portugal is Portugal, and you shouldn’t come here hoping for change or expecting change. ![]() ![]() It’s also not a list of things that Portuguese should change, and it’s definitely not a list of things that Portugal will change – no matter how sensible that change might seem to you. It’s also important to point out that this is a list of the downsides of Portugal primarily from the point of view of an outsider (although Portuguese people often agree with some of the things on this list). ![]() As mentioned, there are lots of upsides to living in Portugal, but this website wouldn’t be doing its job if it didn’t give you appropriate expectations. But it’s important to get the full picture before you move somewhere new. Most articles, YouTube videos, and estate agents focus on the upsides rather than the downsides. There are lots of pros to living in Portugal – the weather is great, the cost of living is more affordable than in other countries, and the beaches are beautiful – but there are, unsurprisingly, one or two cons as well. Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.Let’s face it: nowhere is perfect. In the end, it looks like the Christmas tree industry probably received more press in the last 18 hours than it would have via the $2 million ad campaign those $.15 fees would have funded.Īmid Uproar, White House Sidelines “Christmas Tree Tax” Opponents of the fee, which had been largely supported by the people who would have been paying it, argued that those $.15 would have been passed on to consumers.īut the folks at the National Christmas Tree Association issued a statement saying, “The program is not expected to have any impact on the final price consumers pay for their Christmas tree.” What’s being talked about here is an industry group deciding to impose fees on itself to fund a promotional campaign, similar to how the dairy producers have created the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign… That said, USDA is going to delay implementation and revisit this action. I can tell you unequivocally that the Obama administration is not taxing Christmas trees. of Agriculture announced a program that would charge a $.15/tree “tax” to Christmas tree growers in order to fund a campaign to promote those very trees, the White House has responded to the flurry of criticism by asking the regulators to rethink the idea.
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