During the closing discussions on the general outlines of the 2026 State Budget in the Assembly of the Republic, a centrist deputy stated that this budget “is not an adventure budget because it does not propose to give everything to everyone simultaneously, as if there were no tomorrow, because there is a tomorrow”.
“Nor is it a budget of sheepishness because it does not blindly follow, neither blindly nor in any other way, erroneous policies from the past that, when taken to extremes, led the country to bankruptcy,” he emphasized.
João Almeida described the 2026 State Budget as “a budget of commitment”.
“First and foremost, a commitment to the voters, with the electoral promises we recently made which helped us win elections and are being held accountable for here. Secondly, a budget of commitment to stability, which, for a political force without an absolute majority in parliament, aligns with the conditions that allow for the budget’s ratification and securing that stability for Portugal and the Portuguese people,” he indicated.
The CDS-PP deputy stated that “the greatest of all commitments in this budget is certainly the commitment to the future,” noting that “it is not an endpoint; it is assuredly another stage in a journey”.
“This is a budget marking another stage in a journey that reverses the path of eight years of socialist decline, a period when we were at the bottom of the standings, and a time when the Portuguese had lost hope. It is certainly a journey and a cycle of ambition—for lower taxes, for more growth, for more income for each Portuguese, for more freedom for each Portuguese, and, above all, more freedom for future generations than the current generation ever experienced,” he listed.
João Almeida also declared that this is a budget of “commitment to those who have already given much to the country”, as well as to those currently working and for future generations.
He highlighted that the 2026 State Budget includes a reduction in the corporate tax rate (IRC), arguing that this decrease “will increase investment, and with increased investment, there will be more jobs and better wages”.
“But also because it reduces the income tax (IRS), thus giving more freedom to people, leaving more money in each individual’s pocket. It is therefore a budget that provides more jobs, higher salaries, and lower taxes,” he maintained.
João Almeida also noted that the government’s proposal lowers the national debt, “thus also helping to free future generations from commitments that the current generation, unfortunately, still has to assume due to past irresponsibility”.
“It is also a budget of commitment to those with the least,” he defended, highlighting the increase in the national minimum wage and the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly.
[News updated at 5:45 PM]
