The prime minister said on Tuesday that the payment of the child benefit increase is intended to share the growth of the economy, which the European Commission forecasts should grow by 2.4% this year.
“The payment of the increase in child support is another step in the fair redistribution with the Portuguese of the growth of the economy,” wrote in the social network António Costa, who is today in Reykjavik, Iceland, to participate in the IV Summit of the Council of Europe.
The additional child benefit support, which will cover 1.1 million children and young people, will start being paid today, with the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security explaining that the initial amount will be €45.
“It is the first support for the year 2023,” said Ana Mendes Godinho in Fátima (Santarém), pointing out that “it is a monthly support of 15 euros per child”, but paid quarterly.
“This is the first [apoio] done, paid retroactively”, and “will cover about one million and one hundred thousand children in Portugal”, he added.
In March, the Council of Ministers approved an additional support for child benefit, to be paid to every child and young person receiving child benefit, for a monthly amount of 15 euros, paid quarterly in 2023.
The European Commission on Monday pushed forward an upward revision of the Portuguese economy’s growth forecast for this year to 2.4%, the third highest rate in the eurozone, which appears to be more optimistic than the government.
Brussels also went ahead to forecast that Portugal’s deficit will fall to 0.1% this year, the lowest in the eurozone.
Source: DN
