robcarolyn

Loule must be a fast mover!

tombo

Tell me Richard. I know you are correct in stating that you need a Portuguese bank account but why is this? Why would someone have to open a Mickey Mouse bank account to pay a bill? Why is it that the Portuguese tax office can insist on a Portuguese bank account when the whole country is being financed by EU hand-outs?

RichardHenshall

You don't have to open a Portuguese account - you can always pay in cash in person.

However if you don't want to do that you have to use a Portuguese account because of the way that payments to the State are processed.

In Portugal, an electronic payment to the State uses two reference numbers, the relevant Fiscal number (NIF) and a (15-digit) reference that is unique to the particular invoice/tax demand. These two numbers can be used with online banking and can also be used in the Multibanco system. Neither system is accessible without a Portuguese account because other countries' banking systems work differently. The bank account to which the payments are directed by this system is unknown to the payer, so no mistakes can be made. Furthermore the (15-digit) reference is time-limited so that a bill cannot be paid late without obtaining a new reference (and a new amount including a late-payment penalty).

In the UK, a payment to the State (as to any other payee) requires the bank account details (account number and sortcode) and a single 'customer' reference that allows the payee to allocate the payment to the correct 'customer'. Errors in any of the numbers/references are possible and may result in the payment leaving the payer's account but not going to the intended payee or going to the intended payee who may then struggle to apply the payment appropriately.

In short, it's because the Portuguese SIBS/Multibanco payment processing systems are more advanced.

tombo

Accepted. clear and precise. Thanks

foskinp

Thanks for the very informative replies. I do have a bank account in Portugal so can pay directly.

Anyone any advice on how I can ring them or email them to ask them to send the demand to me instead of the Fiscal Representative that was nominated years ago.
Appreciate your help
Thanks

RichardHenshall

You've stated that you have online access to the Portal das Financas and a Portuguese bank account. If so you have everything you should need in the short term.

Could your inability to find what you need to pay for IMI this year be because you are looking for 2015 (as in the title of this thread)? What you should be looking for are the figures for 2014, as IMI is paid in arrears.

Follow these links:

Início > Os Seus Serviços > Consultar > Imóveis > Notas Cobrança > 2014

The removal of your fiscal representative needs to be done in person, so is a job for another day.

foskinp

No I have been on the correct site but there is nothing there for 2014. I have a friend who rang them from Ireland and she is now receiving demands to her home address. I used the same number but only get through to a recording.
Thanks for your help.

RichardHenshall

Is there anything showing for previous years? Is your property properly registered to you (not to your other half, for example)?

Do you see it here?

foskinp

Yes the figures are there for 2014 so maybe they have not issued them yet so will keep checking. I also need to declare rental income for 2014, do you by any chance know where I can find the form to declare same as I believe it has to be done by end of May and paid by September.

I probably am panicking because of the fact that my fiscal rep filed my returns too late last year and I was fined €485.

RichardHenshall

If the figures are there, you have all you need. The Multibanco reference and the amount are on the screen. If you want more detail click on the '+info' in the Outra Inf. column.

Due to the number of users looking at this at the moment you may get an error message:

You can make an IRS declaration here.

foskinp

Thank you Richard,
I actually meant what I paid in 2014 which was for 2013 however what I owe for 2014 is not on the screen yet?

Thanks for all your help.

RichardHenshall

If you see nothing when you click on 2014 then you are probably correct in assuming that it's not been issued yet but if you do see numbers when you click on 2014 (even if they happen to match what you paid during 2014, for 2013) then that is what you need to pay in 2015.

The amount due doesn't change every year as it is a government-capped percentage of the Valor Patrimonial (~Rateable Value) and the VP is periodically (every 3 years?) raised to adjust for 'inflation'. Our Câmara is already charging the maximum it can. In fact we've paid an identical amount for the last four years but will be paying ~2.25% more this year due to an increased VP.

tootlewagon

John,

Do the Financas people in Tavira normally speak English?

Cheers

CAROL ELIZABETH

Some do and some have a little. I went in a couple of weeks ago to change address for mail. We moved house in 2013 and I changed the I address but they only changed my husbands so the IMI bill for mine went to our old address. So I wanted to ensure that this year our bills came to our new UK address. Anyway they were very helpful in the financas and by having all the relevant paperwork they understood what I was trying to do.

fergus

The people in the office are usually okay. Some speak english better than others, but if you at least try some Portuguese and have the paperwork they are usually helpful.
The wait is the worst and it is best to get your ticket, get an idea of whether it will be half an hour or an hour and then have a coffee round the corner.