António Costa will wreck Portugal - Nuno Magalhães

Nuno Magalhães, whip of the CDS-PP in Parliament

"You are wrecked and will lead the country to be wrecked also" 

The parliamentary leader of the CDS-PP, Nuno Magalhães, 

said today that the Prime Minister, António Costa, 

"has crashed" with a state budget draft based on "fantasy" 

and "will also lead the country to crash".

"You have crashed and, what is more serious, 

you will also lead the country to crash. That's what concerns us," 

said Nuno Magalhães, 

addressing the Prime Minister in the fortnightly debate in parliament, 

when the draft budget outline was being discussed, 

which includes a tax increase of 5% on petroleum products.

The centrist parliamentary leader, Nuno Magalhães, 

used a car metaphor, after António Costa said cynically, 

that the CDS will now be "the party of the motorists."

Magalhães said the CDS refuses to validate a draft budget outline 

"based on an unrealistic basis,

 that is not not credible, nor achievable"

 "Firstly because history teaches us that countries 

that make artificial budgets 

are the first victims of the illusion, of their own governments."

Referring to the "national and international unanimity 

on the lack of credibility 

of the draft of the State Budget," 

Magalhães used an image of a consultant as synthesis. 

"In a few words, Deloitte says it all: 

'this budget project is based on a fantasy and not on reality," he said.

The CDS focused their questions, to the Prime Minister, António Costa, 

on two main aspects of the draft budget: 

the pretended tax on petroleum products and the retirement funds 

and solidarity supplement for the elderly. 

"The petroleum tax, will make the use of diesel and petrol, 

from the middle-class families and businesses, 

to pay for the favours of the communist party, the radical BE 

and the communist trade union CGTP. 

How much will the increase be, 

of the tax on petrol and diesel products?" 

asked Magalhães.

As usual, António Costa did NOT answer 

the specific questions put to him.

António Costa did not give any numbers, 

arguing that he made a clear choice between taxing labour 

and petroleum products, 

in a fuel price reduction scenario 

and that the country and the world are engaged in changing 

the energy and environmental paradigm. 

Nuno Magalhães also accused the Government 

of "cheating the pensioners" 

"Before the elections, the radical BE 

and the Communists promised , 

an increase of at least 25 euros per month for pensioners, 

but, unfortunately, 

you won't even give one euro per month to the elderly 

and the communists and the radicals are as quiet as mice. 

And you, Mr. Costa, promised 

that you would reset all the solidarity supplements for the elderly, 

but as we look at the draft budget outline, 

it´s absolutely unbelievable: 

0.00% [of budgetary impact]." 

So much, for creating illusions for the elderly!