The PSD called on the PS this Wednesday to “stop playing politics” and agree to cutting taxes this year, with the Socialists talking about a “political number” as they believe that this IRS cut already foreseen in the next budget.
At the opening of the debate in the Assembly of the Republic, organized by the PSD on the theme “Tax Reduction”, the parliamentary leader of the PSD, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, listed the signs of impoverishment that he considers those of the PS government. including the “complex and overwhelming tax burden.”
“Given the fiscal waste, this debate is the last chance for the socialist majority to tell the country whether or not it wants to cut taxes in 2023. Will the PS accept that taxes are reduced or not, thus putting an end to politics?” he asked.
The PSD parliamentary leader opined that “the social contract has been compromised”, accusing the government of returning minimum public services in areas such as health and education, stressing that “in just seven months the government has already achieved 2.2 billion euros extra” than predicted for this entire year.
“The PSD has a balanced alternative: returning taxes to families without endangering public accounts. The PSD wants to give families more financial freedom, but the government does not want and will not allow that,” he complained.
In response, Socialist deputy Ivan Gonçalves challenged the PSD to explain why today it defends the priority of the IRS, while in 2022 it considered the reduction of the IRC essential, and why today as an opposition it proposes “what she never did when she was in government”.
“It is in the state budget that we have to discuss taxation. What you are doing today is a very basic political figure: you want to appear in a photo of a tax cut that you already know will happen,” the Socialist delegate reflected.
Miranda Sarmento explained once again that the change in priorities regarding January 2022 was due to “the change in circumstances”, due to the outbreak of inflation, and recalled that the current President of the PSD, Luís Montenegro , had run for office and had prioritized lowering inflation. theirs.
“It is true that the PSD had to increase taxes in 2002 and 2011, do you know why? In 2002 we managed your swamp and in 2011 your bankruptcy,” criticized the PSD representative.
In the early stages of the debate, IL leader Rui Rocha welcomed what he called the PSD’s “summer passion”, saying that his party defended in the 2023 budget a more significant IRS cut than the one now proposed by the PSD . the social democrats.
“They propose to return a daily allowance to people with an average salary,” he criticized, advising the Social Democrats to “put on their shoes” in this area.
BE and PCP particularly criticized one of the measures proposed by the PSD: exemptions from IRS and TSU for productivity bonuses worth up to 6% of annual basic salary.
“The PSD comes to this debate, motivated by the bosses’ proposal for a social pact,” accused the blocker José Soeiro, recalling that in September 2012 there was one of the largest demonstrations in Portugal since April 25, precisely because of a proposal to reduce employer TSU.
In the same vein, PCP deputy Duarte Alves considered this the “most serious measure” of those proposed by the PSD, warning that it would mean “less pension and less protection during illness” for workers.
“The PSD continues to want to ruin the sustainability of social security,” he accused.
In response, the PSD parliamentary leader assured that this proposal has “nothing to do with the social pact” proposed by the CIP, but argued that “productivity is the main problem of the lack of growth in the Portuguese economy”.
Miranda Sarmento regretted that the IL leader wanted to be a “monopolist” on taxes, arguing that Rui Rocha still “didn’t dream” that his party would exist and that “the PSD was already talking about budget reforms and tax cuts. “.
“Unfortunately, whenever we were in government, the PS bills did not allow us to follow our program,” he reiterated.
Source: DN
