This Wednesday the Assembly of the Republic is discussing the tax breaks announced by the Prime Minister and which have caused controversy in recent days, with the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs representing the government.
The controversy surrounding the IRS cuts has sparked a back and forth between the opposition and government in recent days, with the PS announcing on Saturday a request for an urgent debate this Wednesday, during which it intended to hear from the finance minister. , Joaquim Miranda Sarmento.
On Wednesday, a parliamentary affairs source told Lusa that the finance minister had traveled to Washington to attend an already scheduled meeting of the International Monetary Fund.
In the absence of Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Pedro Duarte, will intervene in the debate on behalf of the government, who is to be accompanied by the Minister of Finance, Claudia Reis Duarte. to the same source.
The announcement of tax incentives was made by Luis Montenegro at the beginning of the debate on the program of the XXIV Constitutional Government last Thursday.
“Firstly, next week we will approve a proposed law that amends Article 68 of the Income Tax Code, introducing a reduction in IRS rates for income up to the eighth category, which will result in an overall reduction in the Portuguese labor force of approximately 1,500 million euros. taxes compared to last year are especially felt in the middle class,” the Prime Minister said.
A day later, Finance Minister Miranda Sarmento clarified that the €1,500 million IRS relief will not be added to the approximately €1,300 million IRS cut included in the 2024 state budget and already in effect.
Speaking to Lusa that day, PS secretary general Pedro Nuno Santos accused the government of defrauding the Portuguese with “fraud and fraud” that represented tax breaks after a sum of about 200 million euros, a criticism echoed throughout the opposition.
In a statement on Saturday, the government found it “true and undeniable” that the IRS cuts would result in a reduction of 1,500 million euros compared to 2023, and said further cuts to IRS rates would be “fiscally irresponsible.”
PSD parliament leader Hugo Soares said the prime minister “did not lie” and spoke “clearly and crystal clear”, but the PS asked for this urgent debate to be scheduled for this Wednesday.
“This is so serious that the PS will immediately enter into the urgent debate that will take place in the Assembly of the Republic next Wednesday, in which we count on the presence of the Minister of Finance, confident that he will not fail to provide all the clarifications that deserve the attention of the Portuguese and the Parliament,” – Alexandra Leitan told reporters on Saturday.
In Madrid on Monday, Luis Montenegro refused to “deepen” the IRS proposal and referred to the time it would be approved by the Council of Ministers on Friday, stressing that he was governing to fulfill election promises and not to “open news programmes”.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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