The PSD parliamentary leader stated on Friday that the government is preparing to enforce the IRC, will not relent on the reinstatement of teachers’ tenure and will slightly reduce the IRS next year.
This position was expressed by Joaquim Miranda Sarmento at the end of a meeting with the Ministers of Finance, Fernando Medina, and the Deputy and Parliamentary Affairs, Ana Catarina Mendes, in the Assembly of the Republic, during which the government presented the main lines of presented its policy. proposal of the state budget for 2024.
The government’s state budget proposal for 2024 maintains in budgetary terms, according to the leader of the Social Democratic Bank, “the same line as the previous one, that is, maximum taxes and minimum public services.”
“On teachers and service reinstatement, the government does not appear to be open to the PSD’s proposal to claw back 20% every year. Nor does it appear to us that there is any openness to changing the IRC and reduce the rate,” he said. said.
“And with regard to our proposal to reduce the IRS by 1,200 million euros, the government is apparently preparing to follow what is in the stability program,” added Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, together with party vice-president Leitão Amaro, as well as alternates Hugo Carneiro and Duarte Pacheco.
The chairman of the PSD parliamentary group then noted that what is currently included in the Stability Program in the field of IRS “is a much lower reduction” compared to what the Social Democrats propose, in the order of two billion euros by 2026.
Joaquim Miranda Sarmento indicated that during today’s meeting the Minister of Finance showed only some openness about the proposals that the PSD presented last February in the field of housing, with a view to increasing supply.
“Only in the field of housing, in the fiscal field, and reducing taxes on the construction, purchase and rental of houses, it seemed to us that there could be some openness on the part of the government to accept the PSD’s proposals “, he said.
At the time, the chairman of the social democratic bank said that the PSD proposal provided for a series of temporary tax measures, for a period of five years, to help increase housing supply.
“We have proposed, among other things, a reduction of VAT on construction to six percent and a reduction of the IRS and IRC on rental prices. Apparently the Minister of Finance was relatively receptive to the adoption of some of these measures that the PSD announced in February presented,” he said. .
“The Portuguese will continue to pay maximum taxes to have minimum public services”
In global terms, “the conversation” with Minister Fernando Medina, according to Miranda Sarmento, has allowed us to indicate that “the 2024 budget proposal follows the line of previous budgets.”
“The Portuguese will continue to pay maximum taxes to have minimum public services. They will continue on the path of impoverishment,” he thought.
As for next year’s macroeconomic scenario, according to the version conveyed to journalists by Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, the government has not presented “any figures” to the PSD.
“It is up to the government to make this disclosure,” he noted, even after being asked whether the Socialist executive had communicated that Portugal was preparing for a budget surplus at the end of this year.
“We practically do not discuss figures on the macroeconomic scenario or the fiscal scenario. The government will release this information in due course,” he stressed.
According to the Stability Program presented in April, the government predicts economic growth of 1.8% this year and 2% in 2024 and inflation of 5.1% this year and 2.9% in 2024.
The Ministry of Finance pointed to a deficit of 0.4% this year and 0.2% in 2024. Regarding the ratio of public debt to gross domestic product (GDP), the estimate indicated that this deficit would decrease from 112 .4% in 2022 to 106.1% this year. year and up to 103% in 2024.
Source: DN
