April 2014 | Now 4000 FREE copies per month
A community newsletter for the western Algarve
Demonstrate Your Support for Lagos Market
By Lena Strang
Market stall holders in Lagos, who are campaigning against new national regulations, are appealing for our readers to take part in a demonstration which is being held in Lisbon on Thursday, April 3rd. Protesters from across the country will be attending the event which has been called by the CNA (Confederação Nacional de Agricultura).
receipts books. Each receipt costs 70 centimos and as some purchases are less than this, protesters say they will actually make a loss. Critics are concerned that issuing receipts in a busy market, together with the fact that many stallholders have limited literacy skills, will make the proposals impractical. Campaigners say it will mean the end of local markets.
thought these measures were similar. He doesn’t read or write and sells a few things at the market from a neighbour’s land to help him top his 300 euro pension.
Stall holders and small scale farmers are furious about plans by the Portuguese Government which would force them to issue receipts for every purchase at local markets. Under the proposals, which are due to come into force at the end of this month, having been adjourned four times, stallholders would have to to register with Finanças and buy numbered
One Lagos trader, 77-year-old Isilda Coelho, told ‘Tomorrow’ that she sold at the market to supplement her pension. She said, “I think that having to issue receipts is ridiculous like a bad joke.”
If you want to go along to support the stall holders a coach has been hired for April 3rd. It will leave from the car park behind the Renault showroom near the new Câmara building at 8am. It costs 15 euros and people are asked to take a picnic lunch.
Another 79-year-old stallholder known as ‘Praia’ said he lived through dictatorship and
The group in Lagos that is mobilising protesters ahead of the rally is called ‘Movimento do Levante’.
Call 966991512 to book a place on the coach.
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