IL wants to lower VAT on construction and reduce public spending

The Liberal Initiative (IL) wants the State Budget for next year to include measures to encourage the construction and provision of more housing, such as a reduction in VAT, and also a reduction in public spending.

The IL leader met with the Prime Minister this Wednesday at the official residence in São Bento, as part of negotiations on the next State Budget, and asked Luís Montenegro to have the " courage to implement solutions that truly solve people's problems."

At the end of the meeting, Mariana Leitão advocated for the introduction of measures in the 2026 budget to resolve the housing crisis and make more homes available, such as "an effective reduction in VAT on construction" or a "reduction in property income taxes."

"There are no houses, and we need measures to allow more houses to be built, but also measures on the rental market to ensure more houses are available immediately," he said.

Speaking to reporters, the IL leader also considered it urgent to " substantially change the IRS " to "put more money in people's pockets," who "cannot continue to be punished by an excessive tax burden."

Mariana Leitão also argued that it is “necessary to reduce public spending”.

"We still don't have data on the issue of public employees. However, we have the Minister of State Reform who says that firing anyone is out of the question. Now, the question remains: if they don't know how many people work, what they do, and what their salaries are, how can such statements be made ?" he asked.

The liberal then advocated for "a serious, effective, and cross-cutting assessment of public administration, to achieve a State reform that has an impact, that values ​​the people who actually work in public administration, who are meritorious and who make an effort and who deserve this recognition."

The liberal also indicated that “there is a willingness to dialogue.”

In this statement, Mariana Leitão also made a point of commenting on the presence of the Chega leader at an immigrant demonstration in front of parliament , accusing André Ventura of “taking advantage of this situation without presenting any solution whatsoever that takes into account the sustainability and needs of the country.”

The IL leader considered that there is an "absolute lack of control" over immigration, "the sole and exclusive fault of the Socialist Party, which allowed for years a complete and absolute lack of control over the entry of people" into the country.

The liberal advocated for an immigration policy that is in line with the "country's needs and that is implemented in a regulated manner, and that there are also oversight mechanisms."

Chega leader André Ventura left the plenary session this afternoon with some of his party's deputies and headed to the front of the Assembly of the Republic building, where several hundred immigrants were demonstrating peacefully.

The protest ended in a tense moment after the Chega delegation arrived at the scene. At that point, protesters approached André Ventura, shouting words like "fascist," "racist," and "Portugal belongs to those who work."

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