Rubina Berardo
"Double Subsidy" affair
### "Double Subsidy" affair

April 2017, Portuguese media denounced the fact the parliamentarians representing the [Autonomous Regions](/wiki/Autonomous_Regions_of_Portugal "Autonomous Regions of Portugal") were benefiting from a duplication of subsidies to cover their air fare costs. Parliamentarians representing [Madeira](/wiki/Madeira "Madeira") and [Azores](/wiki/Azores "Azores") were entitled not only to benefit from the subsidy available to all tax residents of the Autonomous Regions, as well as to benefit from the subsidy made available by the Portuguese Parliament to cover transportation costs.

Unlike most of her colleagues, benefiting from the double subsidy, Rubina Berardo made clear to the press, that she never applied for the subsidy made available to tax residents, since it was her understanding that the subsidy provided by the Portuguese parliament is more than enough to cover the air fare costs relating to the travels to her [constituency](/wiki/Electoral_district "Electoral district"). Out of the 12 Parliamentarians representing the Autonomous Region, Rubina Berardo, was the only one to opt to apply for one, of the two, available subsidies.


What are the consequences of parliamentarians benefiting from duplicated subsidies?