PCP communists ‘abstain’
Parliament has approved the government’s request for urgent consideration of the draft law on personal income tax; all parties voted in favour except PCP, which chose to abstain.
However, before the vote, the PSD’s parliamentary leader, Hugo Soares, asked for the content of the request to be amended so that it scheduled separate votes on the general, specific and final overall aspects for debate next Friday (July 4), as the government initially requested.
The initial text requested that the vote on the draft law take place “simultaneously in the three phases, general, specific and final overall vote” – but this was not included in the text presented today.
In practice, parliament’s approval of the request for urgency will shorten procedural deadlines, allowing the bill to be put to a final vote as soon as possible.
The last plenary session before the parliamentary summer recess will be on July 18.
Today, Expresso reports that the government intends to implement the €500 million reduction at the beginning of August.
There is no doubt, this time, that the bill will go through: indeed, minister for the economy Manuel Castro Almeida has said it would be “very strange to see parties fighting over a reduction in taxes on the earnings of workers”, but this is exactly what happened last year, when AD was in a more ‘minority’ position with regard to PS Socialists, which lost so much ground in the last elections that they are no longer in much of a position to sway things.
Speaking about the tax cuts today, President Marcelo has said that they may have “useful effects” in 2026, in terms of stimulating the economy. Indeed, he suggested that 2026 (when the country will elect a new president) is going to be a ‘test year’ in terms of Portugal’s continued stability and resilience.
Source: LUSA
