Inês Sousa Real spoke at the closing of the general debate on the State Budget proposal for 2026 (OE2026).
“The PAN’s abstention is a vote of hope and demand. Hope that political dialogue truly serves the people and public cause, serves the planet and animals, and demand for the government and its supporting benches to listen to the direction before it’s too late,” she said.
Inês Sousa Real argued that “the country needs solutions, not divisions, it doesn’t need political show-offs,” justifying her party’s willingness to engage in dialogue with the PSD/CDS-PP Government.
“Today we conclude the debate on a State Budget that, despite some advances, continues to fail in addressing the country’s most urgent needs,” she criticized, pointing out shortcomings in investment in housing, tuition fee increases, or the insistence on a special tax regime for non-habitual residents.
The PAN deputy also noted that the document fails in supporting families in cases of illness or “when it ignores the climate emergency and allocates less budget to climate policy than in 2024 and 2025.”
“It also falls short when it treats animal welfare as a luxury, maintaining the highest VAT on veterinary care and removing the zero VAT on feed that benefited associations,” she said.
However, she acknowledged positive aspects in the document, such as “increased funding for gender equality, the creation of new victim support offices, and the maintenance of general funding for animal protection.”
“That is why today we want to give a signal of responsibility and dialogue. The PAN will abstain from voting in the Generality, not because we agree with the entire budget, but because we believe there is room for improvement,” she justified.
In the specialty phase, starting Wednesday, the party hopes to “correct tax injustices, support those who protect animals, strengthen housing support, value health professionals, provide fair treatment to firefighters, protect the forest, and respond to the climate crisis.”
