Finance Minister Fernando Medina will go to parliament this Thursday to defend the Stability Program 2023-2027, presented on Monday and criticized by the opposition.
Hearings of the Minister of Finance in the Commission on Budget and Finance (BCF) under the Stability Program (SP) will take place after Monday after the presentation of the document at the press conference, which the Assembly of the Republic released in full late the same day.
In the document, the executive branch makes an upward revision of the forecast for the growth of the Portuguese economy this year to 1.8% (compared to the forecast of 1.3% in October), the inflation rate to 5.1% (previously indicated at 4%). ), and is revising the budget deficit downward, forecasting it at 0.4% this year, below the 0.9% budgeted for 2023.
As for the public debt ratio, it is estimated that it will fall to 107.5% this year and be below 100% in 2025, while the unemployment rate should be 6.7% this year, higher than the previously indicated 5.6% .
The government announced that pensioners will be given a 3.57% transitional surcharge starting this July and a pension base adjustment in 2024 to fully apply the renewal formula provided by law.
The PSD considered the document to be evidence of a “lack of ambition” in terms of economic growth, with parliamentary group leader Joaquim Miranda Sarmento saying that the presentation of the European Parliament by the finance minister “was another exercise in propaganda and hoax”.
Rui Rocha, president of the Liberal Initiative, called the growth forecast for the Portuguese economy this year “grossly inadequate” and recalled that “a very large part” of this growth is associated with the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). .
In turn, Chega leader Andre Ventura accused the government of handing out “crumbs to the people”, believing that the executive branch made “another propaganda statement.” [sobre as pensões] it leaves a lot to be desired,” and called for protests in the coming months.
On the left of the PS, the PKP defended that the European Parliament’s measures are aimed at “the satisfaction of Brussels and the interests of economic groups”, and emphasized that the assessment of pensions is about “only the observance of the law”, while the coordinator of the Left Bloc considered the program “a real irresponsibility” and one that would present “any right-wing party”, accusing the executive branch of “living in an absurd country”.
A PAN spokeswoman also accused the government of demonstrating an “over-deficit obsession” and “little sensitivity” to the context of structural inflation by demanding more tax breaks for families and businesses.
Livre found the increase in pensions only from July “particularly incomprehensible”, given that the government “either made a mistake in the calculations” or “did not want” to give an increase of 3.57% at the beginning of the year.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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