The Prime Minister promised that the Government’s objectives go beyond the objective of having a budget surplus, criticizing the previous Executives of the Socialist Party for having left public services to “languish”.
“What good would accurate accounts be with public services languishing?” asked Luís Montenegro, pointing the finger at the PS governments led by António Costa. “What were the right accounts for?”, he insisted, concluding that “here is perhaps the biggest difference. For this Government there is life and objectives beyond the budget surplus.” An adaptation of a well-known phrase by Jorge Sampaio who stated, in 2003, that “there is more to life than the Budget”.
Statements by the Prime Minister at the beginning of the debate on the State Budget (OE 2025), this Wednesday, October 30, in the Assembly of the Republic, guaranteeing that this is an OE that “marks a political change in Portugal”, who began his speech with a quote from Francisco Sá Carneiro: “The person is the measure and end of all human activity and politics must be at the service of this achievement.”
Luís Montenegro then highlighted that this Government’s “focus is not to last. This Government’s focus is to do”.
The Prime Minister began his intervention considering that there had been “a unique negotiating availability” from the Government, with “several proposals from political parties to be accepted.” Luís Montenegro recalled that “many of them have a relevant budgetary impact. With emphasis on the reduction of tolls and the extension of VAT on electricity” – proposals that were presented by the PS. Initiatives approved in Parliament in addition to “the main conditions presented by the largest opposition party, namely in IRS Jovem and IRC.”
Luís Montenegro recalled that “the proposal that we presented to the largest opposition party and that we reflected in this State Budget is a compromise to the limit of what is reasonable”, with the specific case of IRS Jovem and the drop of just one percentage point in the IRC and not two as the Executive’s initial proposal.
For the Prime Minister, the Government went to the “limit beyond which the Government’s program would be distorted.”
The State Budget for next year is guaranteed approval through the abstention of the PS in general, which will be this Thursday, and in particular, at the end of November.
(News updated at 15:45)
Source: www.jornaldenegocios.pt
