Miranda Sarmento promises to analyze budgetary impact of PS proposals

O minister of Finance said today that the government will examine the proposals for amending the PS to the State Budget for 2027 (OE2027), seeing the impact on next year's public accounts, in the expectation that they will not distort the budget balance.

“We will not fail to analyse these proposals, to understand the budgetary impact they have, and what I hope is that the PS is consistent with what it has said several times, by the voice of the Secretary-General and also by Mr Mendonça Mendes at the first hearing, that they would not distort the budgetary balance,” said Joaquim Miranda Sarmento in the final response of the hearing on the proposal for OE2027 in the specialty, today in the Committee on Budget, Finance and Public Administration (COFAP).

Joaquim Miranda Sarmento referred to the 180 proposed amendments that the PS bench presented to the OE2027 bill.

“ Soon we will know the proposals of all parties and make the evaluation,” he said, adding that the criticism he had made during today's hearing to the PS, which he accused of joining the Enough to want to govern from parliament, remains valid.

Miranda Sarmento repeated that “the Socialist Party often wants to rule through the Assembly of the Republic”.

Among the proposals to amend the PS is a temporary reduction of the ISP and the exemption of VAT on the food basket, compensating for the decrease in revenue with the suspension of the decrease of the IRC and the repeal of moderate rents of 2,300 euros.

Speaking about the amendments proposed by the various parties, at a time when more than 2,700 initiatives have already been introduced, the minister considered that “quantity does not mean quality”, repeating that he hopes that the amendments “do not distort the budget”.

The governor also stated that the country normalized the existence of balanced public accounts and considered that the Portuguese value this balance and the reduction of public debt.

The hearing began about 15:15 and ended about 20:45.

In the end, the Aquida asked for the deadline for sending the amendments to be extended until 9:30 p.m., with the president of COFAP, the deputy of the Aquida Rui Afonso, saying he authorized it.

The Member of the PSD Hugo Carneiro signaled that it would be necessary to have the consent of all parties, but Rui Afonso clarified that, according to the services, he can approve an extension and said that the first extension, taken today following a PAN request, had already happened this way.

The deputy of the PS António Mendonça Mendes asked to be distributed a document with the understanding of the services about who has power to authorize an extension of the deadline, in which, he said, it is said that this decision is up to the president of COFAP.