On Wednesday, the PS said that given the current composition of parliament, the government needed humility to discuss decisions “without tricks and half-truths,” while the SDP responded that the Socialists were sulking “over giving up power.”
“In a legislature with a fundamental role for parliament, humility forces us to discuss decisions without subterfuge or half-truths. And this chamber must demonstrate this readiness in order to be able to carry out this discussion in a serious manner with concrete measures,” he defended the MP and vice-president of the PS Collegium Marina Gonçalves.
The MP was speaking at the stage of the political declaration in the Assembly of the Republic, immediately after the urgent parliamentary debate requested by the PS, on “changes in the IRS” following the controversy that arose due to the Prime Minister’s announcement to reduce this tax.
The Socialists insisted on criticizing the SDP/SDS minority government on the issue, accusing it of “taking what is said for what is left unsaid, appropriating a tax reform” that was not proposed by that executive, “and which in fact earned them their opposition in the vote on the State budget”.
The PS accused the government of making it clear that “the proposed reduction in the tax burden is six times lower than that envisaged by the PS in the state budget for 2024, and much lower than one thousand five hundred million euros in IRC terms.”
“We understand the political option, but we don’t understand how AD [Aliança Democrática, coligação PSD, CDS-PP e PPM] and the SDP took on commitments that were largely outside their electoral and leadership banner. (…) Why didn’t they say it right away, why didn’t they express themselves clearly? Why the opacity, why the trick?” – he asked.
Marina Gonsalves also accused the PSD of wanting to take over the management of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) funds.
“We know that in a month, six months, a year you will begin work and present measures that, according to you, only you can implement, but we know who set the priorities and implemented them,” he said. .
The Socialist MP listed the PS’s priorities in Parliament, namely the abolition of tolls on former SCUTS or the reduction of VAT on electricity for more than three million Portuguese, among others.
In response, PSD deputy Emidio Guerreiro made an accusation against the socialists: “It is clear that the PS is gloomy, upset and does not like to leave power.”
The Social Democrat accused the Socialist Party of defeating the absolute majority through incompetence and criticized the fact that the Socialists are demanding the government “do in two weeks what they have not done in eight years.”
“You will have to get used to it, as your former leader said, because the Portuguese put you in the opposition. We’re going to do what you haven’t done. We are going to solve the problems you have created. with teachers, with security forces and do what they couldn’t do in the area of housing. Will the PS continue to sulk that the Portuguese have removed it from power, or will this help Portugal comply?” he asked.
Regarding IL, parliamentary leader Mariana Leitan asked the PS “with what morality does it demand from others what it has never been able to do”, and Chega, in the voice of deputy Pedro Pinto, accused the executive of having failed the Portuguese by using “ PS tactics.” “.
Regarding the PKP, Parliamentary Leader Paula Santos asked the PS if it already regretted not approving the proposal to reject the government program presented by the communists.
BE’s Joana Mortagua assured that MPs will no longer trust the government’s word after the controversy over the IRS, but also criticized the PS, asking it to decide which side it is on.