The Assembly of the Republic in Portugal saw proposals to lower fuel VAT and create a zero-VAT food basket rejected.
Parties such as the PSD and CDS voted against, citing the need not to acknowledge the urgency of action. The PS voted against Chega's initiatives to avoid benefiting a political adversary. Chega, in turn, failed to gain support for its tax reduction proposals.
The government argues that tax cuts could create a "hole" in public finances, while the opposition defends the need to protect families. However, the vote revealed a "lack of parliamentary coherence," according to the article, with parties finding reasons not to approve measures they previously considered indispensable.
