Mariana Leitão expressed her views during the debate on the state of the nation at the Assembly of the Republic. She criticized the government’s delay in the full privatization of TAP and urged for the revision of the strike law and the opening of companies such as Metro, CP, and Transtejo to competition and professional management.
In terms of fiscal policy, the parliamentary leader and the sole candidate for the leadership of IL deemed the tax reductions implemented by the administrations led by Luís Montenegro as insufficient, calling for “a tax cut that is truly felt in the wallets of the Portuguese people.”
“The reduction in IRS was modest and is likely to be negated by inflation and indirect taxes, far from the fiscal relief that the Portuguese deserved. A serious reform is needed: returning income, rewarding effort, and simplifying the system,” she stated.
Regarding the functioning of the State, the parliamentary leader of IL accused the PSD/CDS-PP government of creating “more positions, more party dependency, more expenses, and less merit.”
“Mr. Prime Minister, I ask you: will you have the courage to implement a serious reform of the State, with all that it entails, or will you settle for the promise of a tomorrow that never comes?” she questioned.
According to Mariana Leitão, there is currently a “more than evident collapse of public services” with “health being the biggest example of the State’s failure,” marked by “hospitals lacking professionals, closed emergency services, and endless waiting lists.”
The deputy argued that the SNS is “a system that doesn’t respond,” one that “consumes more and more resources but offers fewer services,” where “the poorest have no access and the middle class pays twice,” through the use of health insurance.
In light of this, she challenged the prime minister to “have the courage to reform the health system,” allowing everyone access to care “regardless of whether it’s public, private, or social,” which she called a “true universal health system.”
For IL, “in terms of mobility as well, the State continues to fail dramatically in its basic responsibilities,” with companies such as Metro, CP, and Transtejo exemplifying this through “delays, breakdowns, and constant strikes, along with the continuous interference of entrenched interests that paralyze people’s lives.”
“It’s urgent to review the strike law in transportation, it’s urgent to open these companies to competition and professional management,” argued Mariana Leitão, claiming that “the Government talks, but nothing changes.”
In response to the parliamentary leader and sole candidate for the leadership of IL, Luís Montenegro began by remarking, “Your dire tone is such that the only thing missing is to say: Mr. Prime Minister, when will you have the courage to abolish the State?”
The prime minister claimed “important steps” have been taken to comply with some of the policies advocated by IL, including concerning taxes, which should be acknowledged. “You can debate the scale, but you can’t say we are not taking action,” he maintained.
“With this unrealism, with this – don’t take offense at the expression – almost fanaticism, you end up being detached from reality, and then it becomes very difficult to take your discourse seriously,” he continued.
Regarding health, Luís Montenegro stated that the PSD/CDS-PP government holds “a different view” from IL, but nonetheless “it is still a complementary vision.”
“We are engaging the private sector, we are engaging the social sector to complement with us, both within the SNS and even outside the SNS, the provision,” he mentioned, regretting that IL does not acknowledge this.
[News updated at 5:50 PM]
