António Pedro Santos / Lusa
The President of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Luís Montenegro, intervenes during the Democratic Alliance Convention (AD)
AD presents this Friday the electoral program to the legislatures of May 18. A continuation of the “low tax and increased income”, promise of balanced public accounts and the ban on mobile phones in schools by 6th grade are some of the coalition proposals.
A Democratic Alliance (AD) – Coalition composed of PSD and CDS – only presents the program around 17h00, at the Lisbon Congress Center; But on the morning of Friday, some proposals were already known.
On Monday, Montenegro stated that the program will be a continuation Of the proposals presented a year ago and that the government has been realizing, with updates.
And what updates? One of them, according to the prohibition the use of mobile phones in schools up to the 6th grade.
The intention is to make the prohibition mandatory quickly and implement the measure Already in the next school year (2025/26).
This is one; Although the socialist first propose “an assessment of the impact of the interdiction of the entry/use of mobile phone on school spaces.”
In October, the Parliament Chumbed a proposal from the Left Bloc that aimed at review of the Student Statute, prohibiting the use of mobile phone in schools until the 6th grade. The proposal was spoiled with the votes against the PSD, CDsLiberal initiative and arrives and PS abstention and PCP. Only the free and the Pan voted in favor.
Ad points to low taxes
About two weeks ago, in the conversation program of Antena 1 and Jornal de Negócios, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento He had already stated that the program will have a proposal for “ambitious IRS reduction over the four years, much focused on the middle class”.
According to the Minister of State and Finance, the new IRS descent will imply “Reduce levels of levels”, except for the last.
Already in IRCin the same interview, the plan presented in the program of last year will be resumed, maintaining the objective of reducing the current rate of 20 to 15%.
In the coalition program then composed of PSD, CDS-PP and PPM, entitled “Change Security”, there was a reduction in the IRC rate from 21% to 15% in three years (at the rate of two percentage points per year).
However, in the context of negotiations with the State Budget PS to 2025, social democrats eventually retreated and proposed a descent of only one percentage point to 20%.
Without budgetary deficit
In recent days, several ministers have ensured that the electoral program of AD will not predict budgetary deficiteven with the impact that the PR (Recovery and Resilience Plan) loans will have on public accounts next year – and contrary to the PS (which points to its program for a 0.4% deficit in 2026) and the forecasts of the Public Finance Council.
This entity foresees a null budget balance this year and an estimate of 1% of GDP deficit by 2026, which would remain around 0.6% by 2029.
On Wednesday, in the presentation of a package of measures to support companies, the Prime Minister advised prudence in the promises and reiterated the commitment to the balanced public accounts.
2% of GDP in defense
On the same occasion, he announced that Portugal will anticipate the investment target of 2% of GDP in defense – Currently pointed to 2029 – without indicating when, and ensuring that this will be done “Without questioning the capacity of the social state and the stability of public accounts”.
In health, the prime minister has already admitted difficulties in the fulfillment of the promise of attribution of family doctor to all Portuguesebut assured that it will continue to be part of the AD program, and in the housing has stated the goal of “Overcome the 130,000 new public housing by the end of this decade”.
