The president of IL defended this Thursday that the Government should lower taxes, particularly the IRS, to help families face the rise in interest rates, instead of “protesting before the European Central Bank” (ECB).
At the end of a party initiative dedicated to its bill creating a new basic health law, journalists asked Rui Rocha about the ECB’s decision to raise the three interest rates again directors in 25 basis points, the tenth consecutive increase.
The IL leader began by criticizing the reaction of the PS, which he described as “It’s time to stop” with these increasesconsidering that “it is a position that has little attachment to reality.”
“We have no possibility to influence the policies of the ECB, We are more subject than other countries to their decisions, because we have a bad government that takes bad measures.”, he stated, admitting that this new increase has “obviously undesirable consequences” for people.
For Rui Rocha, “there is a measure that the Government can take and that is within its reach.”
“It is not about protesting against the ECB’s policy, but about lowering taxes, specifically the IRS”defended the president of IL, criticizing this year’s “record tax collection” by the State.
The IL leader recalled that the party has already proposed “a significant reduction of the IRS” in the Budget for 2023 and accused the Government and the PS of “having failed the Portuguese” with their rejection.
Asked how IL sees the hypothesis of an extraordinary contribution to banking, as defended by Chega, Rui Rocha referred to this type of measures “to those who are at the political extreme.”
“These are measures without positive consequences and that, later, could even have negative effects for the Portuguese,” he stated.
“The most direct, essential and fundamental measure” to alleviate the difficulties of families would be to lower the IRS, he insisted, also leaving a “message” to the PSD, which will bring to parliament a set of tax reduction measures next Wednesday.
“IL has long defended the reduction of the IRS, now we see other parties that are enthusiastic about this proposal and we want to encourage these parties – I mean the PSD – to maintain this enthusiasm,” he said, although considering the reduction Insufficient measure of the IRS presented by the social democrats.
In the statement released after the monetary policy meeting of its Board of Governors, the ECB informs that the interest rate applicable to the main financing operations and the interest rates applicable to the marginal credit facility and the deposit facility will increase up to 4.50%, 4.75% and 4.00%, respectively, with effect from September 20, 2023.
The ECB notes that future Council decisions “will ensure that key interest rates are set at sufficiently restrictive levels for as long as necessary”, ensuring that it will “continue” to follow a data-dependent approach to determining the level and duration appropriate interest rate. restriction.
Source: Observadora
