The Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Castro Almeida, stated this Wednesday that the supports announced by the Government "never" will be sufficient to face the increase in the cost of living, at a time when Portugal is affected by several "wars". The official considered that no country with balanced accounts has enough money to support a war situation, underlining that the country is not at war, but is suffering its consequences.
Castro Almeida reacted to questions about the reduction of IRS up to the 6th bracket and the bonus for pensionists, announced on Tuesday. The minister highlighted that, in a particularly demanding year in which the Executive admitted to having no budget surplus, it was ultimately possible to allocate an additional 800 million euros of public expenditure while maintaining positive accounts.
The official also responded to criticisms from the PS Secretary-General, José Luís Carneiro, who accused the Government of profiting from the fuel crisis. Castro Almeida guaranteed that the State "is not profiting from the war", explaining that what they receive extra in VAT is being offset by the decrease in the value of ISP.
