“Regarding the reduction of corporate income tax (IRC) and the surplus, I say to the Prime Minister to put this surplus into a zero VAT for food items, particularly for the essential food basket, because the cost of living for Portuguese families increased the most among all OECD countries in the first quarter of this year,” stated José Luís Carneiro, speaking to journalists in Paredes de Coura.
When asked about the health of public finances, Carneiro remarked that the government should “recognize the significant work achieved by the PS governments.”
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro predicted today that the country will again have a budget surplus by the end of the year, stating that the economy is performing well and will surprise “many pessimists.”
“I have no doubts that we will reach the end of the year and again have a surplus in public accounts, we will once more be able to say that we reduced the IRS mid-year, increased the solidarity supplement for the elderly, provided an extraordinary supplement to pensioners up to 1,567.50 euros, and yet, we still met the target for balancing the public accounts,” Luís Montenegro declared in a speech at the Festa do Pontal, at the Calçadão da Quarteira, in the Algarve.
