Government reiterates benefit to offset increased fuel tax – LUSA

The Minister of Planning and Infrastructures reaffirmed today the tax relief proposed by the Government to compensate road hauliers for the increase in fuel tax and has expressed its readiness to “continue dialogue” with the industry.

Pedro Marques, who was speaking to journalists in Beja after a briefing session on the state budget for this year, reacted to the decision taken today by the two associations representing the hauliers to present to the government early next week, a measures package for the sector, such as requiring a reduction of 20 cents in the price of diesel in Portugal to be equivalent to that practiced in Spain.

Stressing that does not know the requirement and will still have to “understand” what the two associations “are asking for concrete,” Pedro Marques said that “the most important” is that “even before” the meeting today and “any requirement” of the two associations, the Government had shown “focus on industry reality” and decided to include in the state budget for this year “increase measures of the tax deduction of the cost of fuel for road transport “.

” Certainly, the associations have other claims, but the government, serving exactly this reality and the fact that this increase [the tax and the price] of fuel impacting the industry, although the sector also have obviously benefited from the reduction in fuel prices to over the past few days, understand, already dialogued and will continue, to be sure, the dialogue with the associations to seek the best solutions for a sector that is important for the country, “said Pedro Marques.

However, “we have global constraints, of course, from a budgetary point of view, that must be met,” said the minister, insisting that the government has shown, “immediately” in when it presents the state budget for this year, “sensitivity and specific attention to the sector of reality” when he proposed the tax benefit to compensate road hauliers for the increase of the tax on oil products (ISP).

” so now we will also try to understand better what are the ideas that the industry has, but the dialogue with the country’s business sectors will always be part of the government, although with restrictions that times of fiscal nature and other “because” economic development in general in the country and also in this sector for us is always a priority, within the budget constraints we have, “he said.

the diesel” 20 cents cheaper “is the main requirement package of measures that the National Association of Road Goods Transport (ANTRAM) and the National Association of Portuguese carriers (ANTP) will deliver to the Government, as decided today at a meeting held in Pombal, in the district of Leiria, to define actions defense industry, following the increase of the ISP.

Speaking to journalists, the middle of the meeting, the president of ANTRAM, Paulo Duarte, said the two associations will wait for a “concrete response by week next “and by the Government’s response may take” other measures and fight, “inadvertently anticipate that other actions may be taken.

Paulo Duarte chose not to disclose the measures included in that document to except for the 20 cent reduction requirement in the price of diesel, but said the proposed package is “truly feasible” and that can touch the “reduction of context costs,” among other areas.

LL (JYGA) // EL

Lusa / End