On Wednesday, the PS parliament leader reiterated its intention to cut the IRS as part of the 2023 budget, attacking the PSD’s “apocalyptic” predictions and Luís Montenegro’s analysis of the effects of zero VAT.
These views were put forward by Eurico Brilhante Dias in his speech before the Permanent Commission of the Assembly of the Republic, in which he particularly wanted to highlight the evolution of the Portuguese economy in recent years.
“The stability program presented by the government in April provides for the reduction of the IRS. This reduction and background work will be carried out within the framework of the state budget, as promised,” said the chairman of the Socialist Parliamentary Group.
He then moved away from the path advocated by the PSD of lowering the IRS, countering that the socialist majority “acts with predictability and poise”.
Still referring to the PSD, he added: “Certain parties are now entering a kind of fiscal auction, contrary to what they promised less than two years ago”.
“They ignore good budgeting practices and the law and promise permanent tax cuts while guaranteeing proper accounting,” he said.
According to Eurico Brilhante Dias, “contrary to what the opposition predicted, 2022 and 2023 were years of economic growth, higher employment and income and lower public debt”.
“This first term has been a veritable burial ground for the apocalyptic prophecies of the opposition. I also remember an override (which appears in the minutes) from a PSD deputy about the fact that the PS could lead the country to Bankruptcy 2.0. Dear Members, let’s agree “It was a prophecy that completely failed. Now the converted opposition, sighing for the devil, is promising tax cuts left and right. It is a matter to speak of a conversion without an act of repentance” , he charged.
The leader of the socialist group also directly attacked the president of the PSD after noting that inflation in Portugal was 3.7% last August.
“Luís Montenegro said on April 18 this year that zero VAT has no impact whatsoever. Another failed analysis. If there is any doubt, it is clear that following the ideas of the PPD/PSD does not yield good results he noted.
Eurico Brilhante Dias defended that Portugal is “among the countries that most supported families in the context of the energy crisis, occupying fifth place in a list of 41 countries”, and that for 2023 gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected at 2.4%. and the 3%.
“In 2022, Portuguese exports exceeded 50% of GDP for the first time. Portugal was also the sixth most attractive European country for foreign direct investment in 2022. In the second quarter of this year, Portugal reached its highest number ever. of employees: 4.979 million,” he stressed.
In short, from the perspective of Eurico Brilhante Dias, “only a truly social-democratic left, people-centered policy, will be able to sustain these results”.
“Since 2019, Portugal has experienced the largest evolution in the weight of wages to GDP (another 1.8 percentage points) of all OECD countries, with the European average falling by 0.5 percentage points,” he added.
Source: DN
