The main Portuguese parties agree with the taxation of extraordinary gains in the energy sector… as long as they are heard in Brussels. Responding to the speech on the state of the European Union given by Ursula Von der Leyen on Wednesday, PS and PSD were positive – or at least receptive – to the proposal of the European Commission leader, who defended the creating a solidarity contribution to the extraordinary profits of companies in the oil, gas, coal and refineries sector.
For socialist MEP Pedro Marques, the measures now announced by von der Leyen are just too late. “We note positively that finally comes up with a European proposal to limit the unexpected gains of the energy sector, and to spend these resources on those who have the least in Europe”, underlined Pedro Marques. “Some countries made progress earlier, as was the case with Portugal, with a measure announced here too, decoupling the price of gas and electricity and returning consumers to the regulated market, lowering tariffs,” argued the Member of the European Parliament for the PS. The tax on extraordinary profits in the energy sector has not been introduced in Portugal – and has divided the PS – but some socialists have debated the greater effectiveness of consumers’ return to the regulated market. In an interview with TVI/CNN Portugal this week, António Costa referred to the taxation of extraordinary profits: “We do not exclude and do not decide. [que não identificou] had to review this measure.”
The Social Democrat MEP José Manuel Fernandes stated that the PSD “admits to analyzing the proposal” to limit the extraordinary profits of companies in the energy sector if the decision is taken “at European level”. “A clear and coherent position,” the MEP said, accusing the government of being involved in “tactical and skillful noise” on the issue. “The economy minister is in favour, the finance minister and the prime minister are against, the PS members too, it’s a cacophony,” said José Manuel Fernandes, who defended that the measure could not mean “additional costs for citizens.” , in this case for the Portuguese” – “Let it no longer be necessary to raise taxes”. Luís Montenegro, leader of the party, had already said this week: “We, in the PSD, are not in favor of taxing companies even more, not even those that have profits that are larger than usual at this stage. .”.
On the other hand, BE, through the voice of MEP José Gusmão, found it unusual that von der Leyen’s speech was “leagues to the left” of António Costa’s. “We do not yet know what the concrete implementation of the measures will be, but we have the It is an unusual moment for a European Commission president to be proposed by the German right and put himself leagues to the left of a socialist prime minister, ours.”, be the blocky MEP. The PCP thought it was “useful to tackle energy issues, the super profits that the Commission itself now has to recognize”, but regretted that von der Leyen has “left out other sectors that also make extraordinary profits”. João Pimenta Lopes also emphasized that not a word was heard on the issue of rising cost of living, loss of purchasing power and the need for an increase in wages”.
Commenting on Ursula Von der Leyen’s speech, Nuno Melo, MEP and leader of the CDS, emphasized that the President of the European Commission “I would have liked to hear” that the President of the European Commission was announcing urgent measures in the short term: “The is of course important for us to know that the European Union is focused on market regulation mechanisms, pricing, taxation of excessive profits, concerns about mental health, but we live in a war economy, I would have liked to hear measures limited to what is tomorrow, namely the coming winter”.
Source: DN
