Parliament has rejected 14 legislative initiatives aimed at mitigating the rising cost of living, including proposals from the Chega party to reduce VAT on fuel and food. The debate, which took place without government presence, saw cross-party disagreements that prevented any of the measures from passing.
Parliament rejects all cost of living proposals
Thursday, 24 September 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
André Ventura, born January 15, 1983, is a lawyer, academic, and Portugal's most prominent far-right leader. He founded Chega ("Enough") in 2019 after his PSD mayoral campaign attacked the Romani community. Chega surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest party and making Ventura Leader of the Opposition.
His platform emphasizes immigration restrictions, law-and-order policies, constitutional reform, and contains inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric that has triggered multiple discrimination convictions and investigations. Politically classified as far-right by international media, Ventura cultivates alliances with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen and Santiago Abascal.
VAT is Value Added Tax (Imposto sobre o Valor Acrescentado), a consumption tax charged at each stage of production and sale; the standard mainland rate in Portugal is 23%. Parliamentary proposals to cut VAT on bottled gas from 23% to 6% would directly reduce consumer prices if approved.
4 sources
- There were 14: all proposals to address the cost of living (including fuel) rejectedcnnportugal.iol.pt ·
- Parliament rejects all bills regarding the rising cost of livingcmjornal.pt ·
- VAT proposals rejected. Sócrates was the protagonistobservador.pt ·
- Parliament rejects all bills on the rising cost of livingrtp.pt ·
