The prime minister said this Monday that he was “focused on the responsibility” of leading the Government, when asked about Chega’s accusations, and rejected that the State Budget for 2025 contains an increase in the tax on petroleum products (ISP).
After a meeting with his counterpart from East Timor, an agreement was reached on the OE2025 that admitted a future entry into the Government, a statement that, through the social network He claimed it was a lie.
The Government never proposed an agreement to Chega.
What the President of that party just said is simply a LIE.
It’s serious but it’s nothing more than lies and desperation.— Luis Montenegro (@LMontenegropm) October 10, 2024
“I am fully committed to acting in favor of the Portuguese people and their well-being and quality of life. and, therefore, focused on what my responsibility is as leader of the executive, an executive that is fulfilling what is written and written in the Government program and fulfilling the commitment that it established with the Portuguese people in the last legislative elections,” he said. , without ever answering directly about Ventura.
Regarding the question of whether you are more or less convinced of the approval of the next Budget, He simply stated that he expected from the remaining forces of the party “an equal stance of responsibility and prioritization of the interests of the country and the lives of the people.”
In another question (only two were allowed to the Portuguese media) he was asked if he would admit to placing tape recorders at future party meetings, using irony.
“I hope not to talk about journalists’ work tools again soon, you will understand that this issue will go down in history,” he said, alluding to his recent statements about the use of headphones by journalists.
When asked if it is considering changing the ISP or the carbon tax again to avoid an escalation in fuel prices, Montenegro reiterated what the Government defended.
“The State Budget that was presented to the Assembly of the Republic on the 10th is the first in many years that does not have a single tax increase. There is no tax that has been increased in the State Budget proposal,” he said.
The prime minister admitted that the document foresees an increase in ISP revenues compared to 2024, giving two reasons for this increase.
“There is an estimate from the Government that income will increase, depending on the application, throughout 2025, of the replacement of the carbon tax and also due to the increase in economic activity”he stated.
Montenegro highlighted that the unfreezing of the carbon tax began to be carried out by the previous PS executive and said that it was the result of the regulations to which the country is obliged in the European Union, having been suspended due to the pandemic and high inflation rate.
“It is not about creating or increasing, it is about resuming, given the rules to which we are obliged within the European Union. The recovery of the carbon tax began with the government before this one. It is not even a factor that divides the main political-partisan forces in Portugal,” he considered.
The Prime Minister highlighted that OE2025 is expected to reduce the tax burden, “which does not mean that in some cases, on some taxes, revenue cannot increase.”
“But it does not increase more than the increase in economic activity.”said.
Montenegro took advantage of the question about ISPs to recall the reduction of the IRC agreed in 2014 between the PSD and the PS, then led by Pedro Passos Coelho and António José Seguro, respectively.
“In 2014, when another Government, led by the same political forces that currently direct the current one, decided, with the agreement of the PS, to lower the IRC rate by two percentage points, IRC income increased, despite the reduction of taxes,” he stressed.
Source: Observadora
