yes it was interesting to read about waiting in Portugal, I read many years ago that people in communist Russia spent half their working life queing for food, well here in Portugal they spend half their working life queing for bits of paper.

The quote about the finances having a 4 year backlog on correspondence only applies if you want something from them, with my last house I did several petitions about the road and water to Silves Camara, and received not even an acknowledgement....BUT when I transferred my house from offshore to onshore, yes within 10 days I was sent a registered letter wanting more tax or they would sue me.

Another S.African man waited two years for a licence to put a sign outside his shop at Silves gare, he got it in the end, went down to the camara offices and collected the paper, went home, went inside and got his sign out (already done 2 years before) put the ladder up...turned round and there was a man from Silves Camara checking to see what he was doing.

yes, things go quickly when THEY want it that way.

Yep, they certainly have more people charging than they have serving. Like it said on the bumper sticker:

A fine is a tax for doing wrong
A tax is a fine for doing well

Either way, you have to pay within 30 days or they will impound/auction your life nowadays....and that is very quick compared to how long it take them to do something for you.

martin wrote:The quote about the finances having a 4 year backlog on correspondence only applies if you want something from them, with my last house I did several petitions about the road and water to Silves Camara, and received not even an acknowledgement....BUT when I transferred my house from offshore to onshore, yes within 10 days I was sent a registered letter wanting more tax or they would sue me.

I am sure that is right Martin. I was purely thinking of the times I've gone to get things for myself and others.

I suppose to be fair to Portugal that is the same in most countries. The tax office is always quick to tell you, when you owe them but not so quick, when you want a rebate.