The Secretary-General of the PS, José Luís Carneiro, today accused the Government, about supporting agricultural diesel by the end of the year, of giving one hand and taking the two away, with still EUR 400 million.
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09/09/2026
by
Lusa
O Government today approved in the Council of Ministers the extension of support for agricultural diesel by the end of the year, with an estimated expenditure of EUR 15 million, as well as aid to the fisheries sector.
“The government gives with one hand, but has been taking with both. Among what it gives and takes, the government still has EUR 400 million in the State coffers”, he said, in the margins of the presentation, in Porto, of the memoir of the former deputy of the PS Renato Sampaio.
And he continued: “I am talking about EUR 600 million of VAT revenue just this year, not foreseen in the state budget proposal for 2026 and I am talking about an increase of EUR 600 million resulting from the increase in fuel taxes adopted in 2024 and also adopted in 2025.”
Noting that the “people are living with many difficulties”, the PS leader said that today, on a street in Porto, she was approached by a lady named Teresa, who told her that she receives “300 euros of pension and also 300 euros per husband who has passed away and pays about 200 euros of household income. And you have to buy two food boxes at least per month.”.
“ He told me he can't live with these resources, that he's 78 years old and he's working on cleaning. But the money you make from cleaning, as you have to issue a receipt, means that you cannot resort to the solidarity supplement for the elderly. This shows that people are living with many difficulties. And the government cannot remain insensitive and collect revenue, which is the result of the effort and sacrifice that people are making to arrive with the right accounts at the end of the month”, he criticized.
On the PS's proposal to lower VAT on fuels in the next State Budget, José Luís Carneiro wants to see to believe and said wait for the proposal that will be presented by the government in October.
“ Let's wait for the proposal. There are matters that have to be resolved in advance, I have already put them in the public domain, but now we will wait for the proposal from the state budget”, he said.
Asked about the results of the PISA study, carried out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and showing that Portuguese students worsened in reading, mathematics and sciences evaluations, José Luís Carneiro replied not to have read the document, saving the analysis for another day.