"Think about someone who earns 1,200 euros per month, gross. This whole discussion, the importance it has in people's pockets, which is what matters, is a discussion that, for this salary of 1,200 gross per month, if there is a reduction of 5 or 7 euros. This is what they have been discussing for days, for weeks. If they reduce these people's pockets by 5 or 7 euros," Rui Rocha criticized today in Porto.

The liberal leader was speaking today at a pre-campaign dinner at a restaurant in Miragaia (Porto), where he was accompanied by the head of the IL list for the European elections of June 9, João Cotrim Figueiredo.

"They make this a huge discussion, as if it were something absolutely decisive in transforming people's lives, and it is not. We are talking about 5 or 7 euros," he reiterated.

On the other hand, he mentioned that "there is a proposal" from the Liberal Initiative (IL) "for this same person who earns 1,200 euros gross per month, which reduces 84 euros" of IRS, he stressed.

"Therefore, I challenge you to stop discussing whether it is 5 or 6 or 7, and discuss whether it is 84, as we propose," said the liberal leader.

On Friday, the PS presented a new proposal to reduce the IRS, challenging the Government to find "a balanced solution" in which there is tax relief for all incomes, but with a greater impact on average salaries.

"It is important that the Government meets what seems to us to be a correct option and that is transversal to the left and right of parliament that most of the gain [in IRS relief] is for those who have the average salary," said PS deputy António Mendonça Mendes to journalists in a presentation to journalists of this new proposal.

According to Mendonça Mendes, with this new formulation, the PS ensures that "only about a third" of the 348 million euros that the Government foresees for this tax reduction "is for the 10% richest".

The socialist guaranteed that his party is "in this negotiation in good faith, with a spirit of openness", admitting that they have not "felt the same openness on the part of the Government".

"We do not accept lowering the marginal rates in the 8th bracket as the Government proposes," he warned, challenging the PSD/CDS-PP executive to "give up giving about 50% of the margin to the 10% richest".

On Wednesday, the PSD presented a draft to replace the Government's proposal on the IRS, reinforcing the reduction in rates in the 3rd and 4th brackets and increasing the rate of the 6th, also paving the way for the annual update of the brackets.

The announcement of the PSD's new proposal was made during the biweekly debate with the Prime Minister, with the leader of the Social Democratic parliamentary group, Hugo Soares, stating that the objective of the new text is to bring it closer to the proposals of the PS, Chega and BE.

Last week, the PS, as reported by the Lusa agency, sent a replacement text to the PSD, BE and PCP, which aims to reconcile the different IRS projects under discussion in the specialty, considering it possible to "ensure a broad consensus" for the approval of the measure.

This text would replace the Government's bills, in addition to the bills of the PS, Chega, IL, BE and PCP themselves.

On April 24, parliament approved in general the proposals of the PS, BE and PCP on the IRS and the requests for the Government's proposal, Chega and IL to be reduced to the specialty without a vote.

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