The PSD parliamentary leader opined on Tuesday that Pedro Nuno Santos is “the last person who can talk about radicalism”, accusing the candidate for the post of PS Secretary General of having shown that he was unprepared as minister.
At the press conference where the PSD’s proposals to amend the 2024 state budget were presented, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento was asked about Pedro Nuno Santos’ interview with SIC, in which he argued that “the PSD plus IL project is already radical enough” to arouse concern. , “without Chega’s crutch”.
“The IL has a radical liberal project. I would say that a possible PSD government with the IL would be a government more right-wing than that of Passos Coelho. Despite everything, Passos Coelho was not dependent on the IL. consequences for governance, of course,” said the candidate for socialist leadership.
For the parliamentary leader of the PSD, Pedro Nuno Santos is “the last person who can talk about radicalism”.
“The one who did not want to pay the debt and made the legs of the German bankers tremble, the one who as a minister made absolutely incomprehensible decisions and showed that he was not prepared to perform these functions, does not seem to me to have any legitimacy to do any form of action to take. criticism of anyone,” said Miranda Sarmento.
PSD maintains the priorities set before the crisis: “Problems of the Portuguese” persist
The PSD presented this Tuesday as the main proposals for changes in the 2024 state budget the priorities presented in October before the political crisis, because “the problems of the Portuguese have not changed”.
Among the five priorities presented at that time, translated into twelve measures, include the reduction of the IRS to the eighth bracket, a maximum rate of 15% for the IRS for young people, health and housing measures and the complete replacement of teachers’ service time. , in phases, in five years.
“The problems of the Portuguese have not changed because of the elections. Our proposals are intended to help solve these problems that the Portuguese face”defended Social Democratic parliamentary leader Joaquim Miranda Sarmento at a press conference in the Assembly of the Republic.
When asked whether the PSD has committed, if it is the government, to implement these measures in an amended budget in 2024, Miranda Sarmento replied that these measures “will be part of the PSD’s action plan for the next term”.
“We will try to implement this during the next term, in a government that could have a four-year horizon”he said.
Of the more than 200 proposals submitted by the PSD for discussion in the specialty, Miranda Sarmento highlighted the abolition of the planned increase in the Single Circulation Tax (IUC), the abolition of the extraordinary contribution for local housing and a fiscal incentive mechanism for savings. of a maximum of one hundred thousand euros.
Miranda Sarmento said that she had not contacted the PS about these proposals, as the dialogue will now take place in the specialty.
“The position of the PSD has not changed. We have always said that we had an answer for the country and we have always been available for understanding with the PS for measures with a broader temporal scope.”he assured.
Regarding the quantification of the measures, the PSD parliamentary leader believed that their budgetary impact is “perfectly absorbed” with the increase in tax revenues due to inflation, which was higher than expected by 4 billion euros in 2023.
According to the PSD parliamentary leader, in addition to translating the twelve measures defined as priorities, the party has also delivered other measures aimed at “improve the efficiency of public services and European funds and try to reduce public expenditure”which he said would have “a reduced impact on the budget”.
When asked whether the PSD could not be accused of trying to give the impression of “giving everything to everyone” on the eve of the elections, Miranda Sarmento said that the party “was careful” and mainly introduced programmatic rules that give the next government the opportunity to decide, as in the case of “the possibility of studying public service competitions”.
For teachers, the PSD proposal stipulates that the government “makes public the budgetary cost of the complete replacement of the seniority of teachers (6 years, 6 months and 23 days), through publication on the website of the Ministry of Education”.
“The government will begin the process of replacing the teacher tenure count in 2024, at a rate of 20% per year, ensuring full replacement within five years”reads the text.
Asked whether the PSD would admit to modifying the proposal if, when it reaches the government, it finds that there are no conditions for its implementation, Miranda Sarmento reiterated the commitment for a complete replacement, given a total cost estimate “between 250 and 300 million euros. “.
In October, “Far from assuming that there could be a political crisis, the resignation of the government and the calling of early elections”the PSD presented five priorities for the 2024 state budget, even before the government presented its proposal.
The first concerns strengthening family income and includes reducing the IRS to the eighth bracket and setting the maximum IRS rate for young people, and the second through the competitiveness of the economy, with the reduction of the IRC to 19% and tax exemptions for productivity premiums.
In the field of housing, the PSD again proposes a support program for the purchase of the first home for young people, with a government guarantee, and a transversal tax reduction for the purchase of a home and, in the field of health, direct contracts with the public and social sectors and private to guarantee a GP and reduce waiting lists.
In education, in addition to recovery time, the PSD proposes the introduction of an IRS deduction for subsistence expenses for teachers who travel more than 70 kilometers from their place of residence, as well as the strengthening of the learning recovery program.
The President of the Republic has called early elections for March 10, following the resignation of the government. This will only be formalized in December, so that the budget can still be approved.
Source: DN
