Prime Minister António Costa said on Tuesday that Portugal will support the European Commission’s proposal to tax energy companies’ extraordinary profits by at least 33%, in response to the UN Secretary-General’s call on the issue.
“There is now a proposal from the European Commission, which will be presented to the… [Europeu]. Portugal will support the European Commission’s proposal,” said António Costa journalists, at Portugal’s permanent mission to the United Nations, in New York.
Today, in the opening speech of the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations (UN General Assembly), António Guterres asked “all developed economies to tax the exceptional profits of fossil fuel companies”.
Asked about Portugal’s response to this appeal by the UN Secretary-General, the Prime Minister began by stating that this is a matter that the Portuguese government “analyzes on the one hand with the information provided by the regulatory authority on the existence or the non-existence of these extraordinary gains”.
“On the second place [é preciso] see to what extent our tax system is already taxing these profits today,” he added.
Thereafter, the Prime Minister expressed his support for the European Commission’s proposal announced on September 14 to collect “a temporary solidarity contribution on the excess profits generated by activities in the oil, gas, coal and refinery sectors” by Member States, with revenues “forwarded to consumers”.
It is the intention of the European Commission to introduce an “applicable rate for the calculation of the temporary solidarity contribution of at least 33%” that “will apply in addition to the normal taxes and levies applicable under the national law of a Member State”.
Regarding the deadline for the implementation of this proposal, António Costa noted: “We never know how long this European decision will take. The European Commission has now proposed, it will have to do its rounds in the Council [Europeu]and we’ll see if it works or not.”
When asked whether it is the government’s intention to implement a cross-cutting IRC internally in the next state budget in the next state budget, the prime minister declined to answer the question, noting that the subject “was not included in the speech of the engineer António Guterres stood”. at the United Nations, which he praised.
According to António Costa, who will speak on Thursday in the general debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, Guterres delivered a “very striking” speech today in defense of peace, against climate change and in favor of a reorganization of the United Nations. international financial institutions providing tools to support sustainable development.
The prime minister stressed the global implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, referring that Senegal’s President Mack Sall, who is also the acting president of the African Union, “was very clear about the very serious consequences affecting the African continent namely due to the lack of grains, seeds, but above all fertilizers, which could endanger next year’s crop”.
Regarding the visit of the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, to the United Nations, António Costa was cautious, as “it may be a good sign or not”, but he hopes it will be.
“We have always kept the doors open for a dialogue with Russia, we believe that it is essential that this dialogue exists and that it can make a positive contribution to what is essential: to end the war, restore peace and be Ukraine return territory and sovereignty and the right to self-determination”, added.
News updated at 17:49
Source: DN
