Unemployment contribution

A 6% cut on unemployment benefits in Portugal was introduced on Tuesday this week, as stipulated in the 2013 State Budget. This is an “extraordinary tax contribution” levied on jobless people. For example, a €500 monthly subsidy will be cut by €30. The president of the Association for Portuguese Unemployed People, Fernando Santos, criticised the measure, which is “yet another cut” introduced by a government that “only thinks about now”.