Chegi President Andre Ventura said this Friday that Finance Minister Fernando Medina is “lying” when he claims that those receiving the national minimum wage (SMN) will not pay income tax (IRS) in 2024.
“I would like to say with all these words and taking full responsibility for this: Fernando Medina is lying. I regret that I said this, and I regret that I said it this way. Fernando Medina is lying,” he said.
Speaking on the sidelines of Chega’s campaign for the Madeira legislature in Funchal, André Ventura reacted to the finance minister’s statements, made at a press conference in Lisbon today, that “those who have the minimum wage will not be taxed in 2024.”
“In this case, the proposal [de lei] The government is making it clear that those earning the national minimum wage will begin filing IRS returns in 2024. You will not pay the IRS only if the tax deductions are sufficient to create a zero tax situation, that is, in which they do not pay,” the Chegi leader explained.
And he confirmed: “I know that Fernando Medina believes that people at home do not understand this, so this is a very difficult debate to have, but we must say this because this is a national question of the greatest importance: in 2024 there will be people who will earn a national minimum wage and will start paying the IRS.”
Andre Ventura classifies the situation as “unacceptable”, considering Portugal to be among the countries with the “highest tax burden”.
“I’m sorry to say, but my country’s finance minister is a liar, and today he failed to tell the Portuguese the truth by saying there would be no IRS payment,” he repeated, before adding: “The prime minister lied, he lied to the finance minister. Many Portuguese who earn the minimum wage will start paying the IRS, and it is very unfortunate that António Costa is doing this to the country at the economic moment we are in.”
At a press conference in Lisbon, the finance minister said those earning the national minimum wage (SMN) will not pay income tax (IRS) in 2024.
Fernando Medina said that under current rules there would be “very rare cases” where people with an income equivalent to the minimum wage would be taxed, but in the government budget 2024 (OE2024) “it will be clear that there will be no effective taxation for those earning a salary equal to the national minimum.”
On Tuesday, the Treasury Department acknowledged that there may be “one-off” situations where people with income equivalent to the minimum wage will have to pay the IRS in 2024 following the minimum subsistence level (income exempt from the IRS) change made in OE2023.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the fact that employees receiving SMI will have to file an IRS return from 2024 “does not mean that they will pay tax,” since with deductions from the fee “they can reach zero taxation.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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