Lisbom, Nov. 7, 2025 (Lusa) - The Socialist Party (PS) proposes that a possible "one-off bonus" in pensions be converted into a permanent increase, among a series of around one hundred proposed amendments to the State Budget for 2026, presented on Friday.
At a press conference in Parliament, the PS parliamentary leader highlighted the proposal for a "structural increase in pensions" in the event of an extraordinary increase decreed by the government, "converting the one-off bonus into a permanent increase in pensions".
"It won't be the PS that gives the government an alibi for having a deficit," said Eurico Brilhante Dias, who emphasised that the series of proposals presented by the PS "continue to maintain the budget surplus as the government presented it" - 0.1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2026.
The PS parliamentary leader responded in this way when asked if there had been a retreat in the demand for a permanent increase in pensions, since it is conditional on a possible "bonus" decided by the government.
"Our proposal is for a permanent increase in pensions, within the structural margin and the budgetary margin of 0.1% of GDP for a positive budget balance. Our proposal is a structural increase, not an extraordinary one, within the budgetary margin," he emphasised.
If there is a new "extraordinary supplement" in 2026, it will "become the basis for the formation of the 2027 pension", a measure that will apply to "any pension as long as it has the one-off increase, the supplement", said Eurico Brilhante Dias.
The PS parliamentary leader said that this proposal "is in line, for example, with what the Economic and Social Council (CES) advocates" and claimed that it corresponds to what "the PS secretary-general has been presenting" on this issue.
On the other hand, if the PSD/CDS-PP government were to increase ISP (Tax on Petroleum and Energy Products) by decree, the PS wants "the government to have to come to parliament so that this budgetary margin can be used to lower VAT on foodstuffs," announced Eurico Brilhante Dias.
The PS's proposals were presented at a press conference by Eurico Brilhante Dias and by MPs António Mendonça Mendes and Miguel Costa Matos, but the respective articles have not yet been distributed.
"The third proposal is particularly important: the area of student accommodation and, within the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), ensuring that there are alternative sources of funding for investments in schools, hospitals and nurseries," said the PS parliamentary leader.
Among other measures, the PS also wants to "update the GNR and PSP police patrol allowance", and proposes "increasing the supplement and the supplement for former combatants by 50%", in phases, between 2026 and 2027.
'Income tax exemption on bonuses' for volunteer firefighters up to a limit of “approximately €2,600”, and an increase in the “assistance allowance for parents” of children with oncological diseases are other proposed changes to the specialised State Budget.
The government's proposal for the State Budget for 2026 was approved in general in parliament on 28 October, with PSD and CDS-PP voting in favour, PS, PAN and JPP abstaining and Chega, IL, Livre, PCP, and BE voting against.
This is the first State Budget of the 25th Constitutional Government, the second PSD/CDS-PP coalition government headed by Luís Montenegro, who took office less than five months ago.
PS secretary-general José Luís Carneiro announced on 15 October, after a meeting of the National Political Commission, that his party would abstain from voting on the 2026 budget proposal in its entirety, ensuring its passage at that stage.
Today is the deadline for parties to submit proposed amendments to the State Budget. The final overall vote on the document is scheduled for 27 November.
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