José Brandão de Brito spoke during a specialized debate, discussing a PS proposal for the redistribution of online sports betting revenues, which was rejected in the specialty but called to plenary for a re-vote.
The Secretary of State argued that “this proposed amendment brings an additional expense of 40 million euros,” reiterating that if this measure is combined with already approved amendments, it could threaten “to obliterate the budget surplus projected for 2026.”
Referring to the impact of the proposed amendments, the Secretary of State did not specifically mention measures from the opposition. Over these four days of voting, initiatives were approved from both the opposition and the parties supporting the government, PSD and CDS-PP.
PS Deputy António Mendonça Mendes requested the Secretary of State to explain how this amendment proposal results in a 40 million euro increase in spending, considering it involves expenditure reallocation.
The official explained it relates to the fact that revenue allocation subtracts income from other entities, which “will naturally want to be compensated.”
The government included in the OE2026 a forecast of a 0.1% GDP surplus for 2026, despite various institutions monitoring the Portuguese economy, such as the Public Finance Council, the OECD, and the European Commission, estimating a budget deficit.
