cabaz alimentar
Published 3 November 2026, 17:05
cabaz alimentar (basket of essential foods)
A list of essential foods on which Portugal has several times applied a reduced or zero rate of IVA: bread, cereals, milk, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fish and meat. In 2026 it is again being debated in parliament, with a proposal to cut IVA on these products to zero.
Where you come across it. News about rising food prices and taxes; election and budget debates.
The contents of the basket are set by a separate law each time; there is no single permanent list. Until the law is passed and published in the Diário da República, shops charge the old rate.