The article questions where the money collected through the tourist tax in Madeira goes, suggesting that the authorities may be using these funds for trips abroad. The author raises this as a legitimate question, considering that whenever there are news about increases in the tourist tax or rate hikes, the Madeiran citizen waits for the money to start appearing in visible improvements to the territory.
However, the author points out that on the island's trails and paths there are areas where garbage seems to have permanent residence rights, evidencing the lack of investment in maintaining these spaces. On the roads, he states that despite money coming in, rates increasing, and visitor records being broken, the road surfaces continue to offer a problematic driving experience.
Regarding parking, the article mentions that citizens pay to stop, pay to drive around, and sometimes also seem to pay for the privilege of searching for a parking spot. The author criticizes the situation as if everything were calculated to cause failure at the car inspection.
The central question of the article concerns the fact that, despite tourist tax revenue growing significantly, the income of many people in Madeira continues to not reflect this success. The author concludes ironically that perhaps the money is also doing tourism on the island, coming in, taking photographs, and heading to an uncertain destination, without anyone knowing exactly where it goes afterward.
