“The lion’s share of the tax issue is not the IRS. The IRS is there to keep us busy with this discussion, excuse the expression. The lion’s share hidden behind it is the IRC,” stated Paulo Raimundo to journalists during a march for the increase of wages and pensions in Lisbon.
According to Paulo Raimundo, the IRS reduction announced by the government are “crumbs, carrots that the government presents” for people to spend “all their time” on this issue and not focus on “the lion’s share that comes next, which is the significant reduction of the IRC.”
“Here is a challenge: whoever can, whoever has the opportunity, do the math, to understand in everyday life, at the end of each month, what is more beneficial: these IRS reductions — which are welcome — or the measures proposed by the PCP regarding the reduction of VAT on electricity, gas, and telecommunications,” he challenged.
The Secretary-General of the PCP noted that the IRS reduction proposed by the government “does not interfere,” but pointed out that it leaves out a “significant portion of the population,” particularly those who earn the minimum wage and “all those millions of retirees who receive up to 510 euros in pensions.”
“This all falls outside this impact. And the greatest, most significant impact, the one that has some significance, is for the higher brackets, naturally. Therefore, I say again: do the math and see if the VAT reduction measures we propose have more effects on everyone’s life,” he requested.
In these statements to journalists, Paulo Raimundo was also questioned about the fact that the Inspectorate-General of Health Activities (IGAS) concluded that the death of a man during the INEM strike in 2024 could have been avoided.
For the Secretary-General of the PCP, it is necessary “to ascertain all the facts and responsibilities,” noting that “political responsibility” cannot be dismissed.
“There can be a lot of technical responsibility, personal responsibility of A, B, or C, but the fundamental one is political responsibility, and I think that’s the one demanded: the political conclusion of these events,” he argued.
When asked if that meant he advocated for the resignation of the Minister of Health, Paulo Raimundo said the issue is not about “person A, B, or C,” but rather the “political direction” of the current government, which, he said, “presented a program to dismantle the SNS.”
“One might say: is it the responsibility of this minister? She also has her responsibility, but it’s not only hers. It is of the minister, the prime minister, the collective ministers, the secretary of state, and the parties that supported the government’s program: PS, Chega, and IL,” he accused.
Regarding how the PCP positions itself towards the inquiry commission proposal announced by IL, Paulo Raimundo said there have been “inquiry commissions for everything and a pair of boots.”
“What I’m still waiting for is the inquiry commission that is necessary on the issue of the coup — which was a coup — of the sale of BES-Novo Banco, where we all paid, the state is harmed, and there’s a group, this time American, that reaps the benefits at our cost again. This deserves an inquiry commission,” he argued.
The Council of Ministers approved a proposal on Wednesday that foresees an additional IRS reduction of 500 million euros, with decreases between 0.4 and 0.6 percentage points between the first and eighth brackets.
