The president of CIP warned this Monday that the Portuguese economy is choking on fees and taxes and defended that the state must respect private initiative and be predictable and efficient.
“An economy without industry, without national production, an economy stifled by taxes and duties, an economy where the state has become accustomed to taking where it does not put, reaping where it has not sown. This is our economy, it is the economy of SMEs [Pequenas e Médias Empresas]said Armindo Monteiro, during a panel on companies at the conference “Where is the Portuguese economy heading”, in Lisbon.
At a conference organized by SEDES and the Order of Economists, António Saraiva’s successor at the head of the Confederação Empresarial de Portugal (CIP) defended that a “stifled economy, where companies are not free” should be avoided because they have a “statistical fiscal burdens, but above all regulatory conditions”.
“We don’t want to go for that nationalized economy. In this business world, we want the state to be predictable, efficient and to respect private initiative,” he said.
For the president of CIP, there is “no design on the part of the state” for corporations.
“It seems to me that sometimes the idea is to remain eligible for a support framework. (…) We have never been encouraged to be a rich country, we fight against wealth,” he stressed.
In the same sentence, he considered: “We want investment, but we fight against capital”.
Source: DN
