Government criticised for focusing inflation support first on families
With the country awaiting the announcement coming later today on government support to help families and pensioners through the spiralling crisis, CIP (Portugal’s confederation of businesses) has said it “cannot understand” why businesses are being “forgotten”.
To be fair, prime minister António Costa has repeatedly stressed that support for businesses is dependent on meetings in Brussels next week. There is no question that they will not be announced shortly.
But António Saraiva, president of CIP, has warned that businesses may not be able to hold out much longer.
The media has been highlighting the number of companies/ concerns that are shutting doors on operations due to increasing energy costs. Says Saraiva how is it that some EU countries are announcing the 3rd package to help businesses, when Portugal hasn’t even announced the first?
He reiterates that some businesses have been faced with increases in energy bills of over 680%. This has come over the last six months and yet still today businesses have no help from the government.
Opposition parties are backing CIP’s indignation, suggesting the government has been ‘asleep at the wheel’ – particularly lazy through the summer which has now ‘come to an end’ with an ominous bang.
