Yesterday, the Assembly of the Republic approved, in a final global vote, the State Budget for 2026. Chega voted against, reaffirming its position from the outset: this is a Budget that does not respond to the needs of families, companies and the country. It is a short, insufficient Budget that continues to ask for sacrifices from the same old people, with a tax burden of 34.7% of GDP.
Although we managed to approve several important proposals in this area, some of which have been demanded for years by public institutions and civil society, the truth is that the essential core of the Budget has not changed. And, therefore, our vote did not change either. We maintained the vote against out of coherence, responsibility and respect for the Portuguese who work, produce and sustain this country.
The Government presented a Budget that continues to follow the same path as always and with socialist inspiration. High taxes, suffocating tax burden, easy promise and inability to reform the State. It is a document that gives with one hand and takes away with the other, pretending to provide relief to families and companies, while continuing to finance a public machine that is heavy, ineffective and incapable of meeting the country’s needs.
Throughout the discussion of the specialty, we looked for solutions, created bridges and presented constructive proposals. We were clear: we wanted a country that was fiscally lighter, fairer and with more opportunities for those who work. We wanted a State that supported the real economy, and not just those who live permanently on subsidies.
But the Government was intransigent. He refused to change course, refused to alleviate the middle class, refused to cut the State’s waste, refused to touch the fats that we all know and fill with almost €3,000,000.00 more in taxes, emptying the wallets of the Portuguese.
Still, we made important progress. Chega had proposals approved, ranging from the construction of new structuring roads, to responding to the needs of the Constitutional Court. We did what the country needed and what others never had the courage to do. But it must be said clearly: approving individual measures does not transform a bad Budget into a good Budget. It does not change the matrix that punishes those who work and always benefits them.
The Government maintains an unsustainable fiscal model.
Families will continue to suffer with withholding taxes that now seem like a relief, but that will be brutally charged in the next IRS. Fuel will continue to penalize those who need to travel to work. Companies will see their competitiveness crushed by taxes disappear. And the country will continue without reforms, without vision and without direction.
In this Budget, the Government limited itself to managing political expectations. The PS abstained to “appear moderate”, the PSD came closer to “appear responsible”, and so the old parties continue to push the country down the same old alley.
Chega, on the other hand, maintained its position firmly: we were consistent. We said what we would do and we did what we said. Portugal needs truth and courage, not tactical maneuvers. Portugal needs a Budget that frees up the economy, that relieves those who work, that cuts waste, that guarantees health, safety and quality education. Portugal needs choices, not patches.
Therefore, we reaffirm that despite having contributed with approved proposals in the specialty, we maintained our vote against this Budget. Because coherence is what distinguishes those who defend the country from those who simply manage the political moment. We do not offer ambiguous speeches or calculated decisions.
We present a clear position and maintain it, from the first day to the last. And we will continue, inside and outside the Assembly, to fight for a fairer, freer and more demanding country with those who govern. Because that’s what the Portuguese deserve.
Politics is made up of convictions, not convenience. And, for us, Portugal is always first
Economist and deputy to the Assembly of the Republic