Enough is enough and ILs want less taxes and PCPs want wealth to be better distributed

This Monday, Chega and the Liberal Initiative defended a reduction in the tax burden, while the PKP called for more wealth redistribution, saying that “people’s lives matter” in response to Brussels’ forecasts.

“To say that we are going to grow by 2.4% in a context where we have tens of billions of euros in European funds and historical inflation, not to mention how much more the Portuguese and their families will have, how many pensioners will have too much and how much it will reduce the tax burden sounds like a very small thing on the part of the finance minister,” Chega leader Andre Ventura said in statements at the party’s headquarters in Lisbon.

Ventura said the government “didn’t help or contribute in any way” with what he sees as the drivers of economic growth, such as tourism or domestic consumption, stressing that the country is “not exporting more technology, not exporting more.” raw materials, it doesn’t export more know-how, it doesn’t export more textiles, it doesn’t innovate.”

“The 2.4% growth announced for the Portuguese economy is sluggish growth. And he is sluggish, given that there are tens of billions of euros in EU funds to ensure the growth of the Portuguese economy. Portugal should grow much faster with the PRR funds at its disposal at the moment,” he said.

The MP for Chega defended that “all factors of economic growth are not factors of structural growth” and that he would admit “if the government handled this issue well”.

Speaking to reporters in parliament, Liberal Initiative MP João Cotrim Figueiredo also said it was an opportunity to “make general tax cuts to stimulate” the economy, instead of doing what he sees as a “welfare way” to distribute excess income.

Cotrim Figueiredo stated that “the European Union concluded that the government would benefit greatly from inflation because it would levy far more taxes than was budgeted” and accused the government of doing “little or nothing ‘ to enhance tourism .

“And I must say that in relation to this sector [o turismo]The government did little or nothing. And what he has done is devalue and attack the tourism sector, which is exactly what he is trying to do with local housing in the More Housing package, he said.

The IL MP also said that all countries eligible for the EU Cohesion Fund will “grow more” than Portugal in 2024 and that “this should be mentioned along with the good news about 2023”.

“It’s fair to say that the swallow doesn’t make a spring newsletter either, and so among this joyful news that we welcome, there are these shadows and these clouds that make us realize that the future is not as bright as it could be. it seems,” he concluded.

Bruno Diaz, MP for the PCP, warned of the need to distribute the wealth created in the country, stressing that “wealth-creating workers work in poverty” and asked for increased investment in public services.

“When we talk about the results and positive statistics for Portugal in the European context, etc., everything is correct. Lack of public investment, lack of investment in public services and lack of distribution of this wealth. And that means wages. and pensions and social payments”, defended.

The communist recalled a controversial phrase by Social Democrat President Luis Montenegro in 2014 when he was the parliamentary leader of the PSD, the party that ruled the country in coalition with the CDS-PP during the Troika. memorandum stating that in an interview he stated that “people’s lives have not become better, but the country has become much better.”

“Apparently this is the motto again in 2023. (…) People’s lives matter. We need the Portuguese, all those who live here, to have a better life. There are conditions for this. Let’s move on to political options that will create the conditions for this,” he insisted.

The European Commission this Monday revised upward its growth forecast for the Portuguese economy for this year to 2.4%, the third-highest rate in the eurozone, which turned out to be more optimistic than the government. Brussels also predicts that Portugal’s deficit will fall to 0.1% this year, the lowest in the eurozone.