Portugal ready to finance a minimum wage increase

&amp;NewLine;<p>The government is considering the possibility of covering part of the increase in the minimum wage through the state budget&amp;period; This measure, which envisages covering part of the single social tax &amp;lpar;ISU&amp;rpar;&amp;comma; corresponding to the increase in charges linked to the 30 euro increase in the national minimum wage, will be financed by the state budget&amp;period;<&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Portugal ready to finance a minimum wage increase<&sol;h2>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>Emphasizing that this was neither a reduction nor an exemption from the single social tax &amp;lpar;IST&amp;rpar;&amp;comma; the Minister of the Economy pointed out that this measure reflected an effort by the State budget&amp;period; To support businesses and to mitigate the effort that the increase in the minimum wage, which will lead to an increase in employers' Social Security contributions&amp;period;<&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>This is not an exemption or a reduction in the UST&amp;period; What the government is going to do is quite different&amp;period; This increase is going to be borne by the State budget&amp;comma; in order to be able to support businesses already hard hit by the <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;vivreauportugalconsulting&period;com&sol;les-travailleurs-independants&sol;">COVID-19<&sol;a>&amp;period; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>In order to mitigate the impact of the increase in the minimum wage, which naturally generates an increase in social security contributions, the government is studying the possibility of covering the increase in UST costs that will have to be paid as a result of the increase in the minimum wage; <&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>Pedro Siza Vieira spoke at the press conference where he presented the measures that make up the new <strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;portugal&period;gov&period;pt&sol;pt&sol;gc22&sol;governo&sol;comunicado-de-conselho-de-ministros&quest;i&equals;388">business support package<&sol;a><&sol;strong>The pandemic has had a major impact, and the measures needed to contain it have been approved today by the Council of Ministers, which is considering both the extension of measures already launched and the launch of new support&amp;period;<&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>The national minimum wage will rise by 30 euros in January 2021&amp;comma; from the current 635 euros to 665 euros&amp;period; To compensate for this increase&amp;comma; the government will also update public procurement and set up a credit line for exporting companies worth 4,000 euros per worker&amp;period;<&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;