Finance Minister Miranda Sarmento said this Wednesday that the government will not fail to fulfill any of AD’s campaign promises, noting that the bulk of the program’s measures begin in 2025.
Miranda Sarmento spoke during the debate on the Stability Program (PE) for 2024-2028 in response to criticism from the PS, which asked him what election promises the government would abandon because it expected a surplus of 0. 3% of GDP in 2024, when the AD electoral program indicated a surplus of 0.8% of GDP and refused to present its own macroeconomic scenario in the Stability Program.
“Not a single campaign promise made in the AD program will be fulfilled,” said Miranda Sarmento, emphasizing that by cutting IRS rates (a proposal also being discussed in Parliament today) and the health emergency plan, “the most important remaining measures” will begin in 2025.”
In addition to commenting on the downward revision of the surplus, the vice-president of the PS Collegium, António Mendonça Mendes, also pointed to the tax burden, stressing that the government’s forecasts, led by Luis Montenegro, include a more modest reduction in the level of the tax burden.
“For several years the alpha and omega of his interventions [como deputado da oposição] it was a tax burden,” said Mendonça Mendes, criticizing the economic downturn.
António Filipe of the PCP also highlighted the change in the deficit forecast, while Isabel Mendes López of Livre criticized the fact that this European Parliament does not include the measures that the current government intends to implement.
“Either the government has a magic trick up its sleeve to change this scenario, or it is trying to find excuses to not fulfill the promises made in the election promise,” emphasized António Filipe.
“Our policy begins now, for four and a half years, and it is on this medium-term program that we will work to adjust our measures,” responded the Minister of Finance.
On the PSD side, Hugo Carneiro asked whether the government would be able to present to the European Parliament everything that the PS demands, given that it has just taken up its duties and that Brussels’ budget rules are changing.
He previously criticized what he called the “PS narrative” that “there is a hole in this Stability Program,” noting that the document assumes a surplus of 0.3% of GDP.
“How can they talk about a ‘hole’?” asked Hugo Carneiro, accusing the socialists of a “lack of consistency.”
In a video posted on social media after the government sent the EP to Parliament, the PS secretary general noted that there was a €1.350 million “hole” in the government’s accounts resulting from a downward revision of the budget surplus provided for in the AD program , while Pedro Nuno Santos wonders where the government will cut spending.
According to the Socialist leader, the controversial issue is the fact that AD’s election program envisages a “budget surplus for 2024 of 0.8% of GDP”, and now the Stability Program, which leader Luisa Montenegro presented “about a month after the elections”, has shown the budget surplus amounted to 0.3% of GDP.
During the debate this Wednesday, Minister Miranda Sarmento stressed that the reduction of the surplus to 0.3% of GDP aims to adapt it to the downward revision by the Public Finance Council, whose previous forecast was based on the 0.8% indicated in the pre-election program. .
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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