PORTUGUESE PUBLIC DEFICIT AT ITS LOWEST IN 45 YEARS

&amp;NewLine;<div class&equals;"wp-block-cover"><span aria-hidden&equals;"true" class&equals;"wp-block-cover&lowbar;&lowbar;background has-background-dim"><&sol;span><img class&equals;"wp-block-cover&lowbar;&lowbar;image-background wp-image-667" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;vivreauportugalconsulting&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2016&sol;04&sol;investissment-portugal&period;jpg" data-object-fit&equals;"cover"&sol;><div class&equals;"wp-block-cover&lowbar;&lowbar;inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow">&amp;NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size"><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;<&sol;div><&sol;div>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Portugal's public deficit at its lowest point <&sol;h2>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p><em><strong>Government announces historic result seven months ahead of parliamentary elections"&amp;comma;<&sol;strong><&sol;em><strong>&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;stresses the site&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;<&sol;strong><a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;eco&period;sapo&period;pt&sol;2019&sol;03&sol;26&sol;defice-fechou-2018-em-05-do-pib-governo-leva-resultado-historico-para-as-legislativas&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank"><strong>Eco<&sol;strong><&sol;a><strong>&amp;period;&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;Such a low public deficit&amp;comma; is a&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;first since the &amp;OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Carnation Revolution"&amp;comma; in&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;1974&amp;period;<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>According to the National Statistics Institute &amp;lpar;INE&amp;rpar;&amp;comma; in 2018&amp;comma; Portugal's public deficit stood at 0&amp;comma;5&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;&amp;percnt; of gross domestic product&amp;period; While the public accounts imbalance had slipped to 3&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;&amp;percnt; the previous year&amp;period;<&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>There are two reasons for this improvement&amp;comma; according to INE&amp;period; &amp;OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The increase in tax revenues and that in social security contributions&amp;comma; reflecting the trend in economic activity and employment&amp;period;" On the opposition side&amp;comma; reports&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;<em>Eco&amp;comma;&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;<&sol;em>we salute this result&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;<em>&amp;OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;positive"&amp;comma;<&sol;em>&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;but the main right-wing parties &amp;lpar;PSD&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;and&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;CDS-PP&amp;rpar; recall that it was obtained thanks to&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;<em>&amp;OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;maximum taxes and minimum utilities"&amp;period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Bludgeoning&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;fiscal<&sol;h3>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>Criticism backed up by a columnist on the liberal site&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;<strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;observador&period;pt&sol;opiniao&sol;o-desrespeito-como-forma-de-governar&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener">Observador<&sol;a><&sol;strong>According to him, Socialist Prime Minister António Costa is showing a lack of respect for his voters and political rivals by hiding the fact that the deficit has been reduced thanks to the government;<em>&amp;OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;to a tax bludgeoning that has always existed and to budget cuts in the operation of the state&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;social"&amp;period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;&amp;NewLine;<p>The &amp;comma; Mário Centeno&amp;comma; also&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;president of the Eurogroup and therefore boss of the eurozone&amp;comma; has already set the course for 2019&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;&amp;colon; the executive is counting on a deficit of 0&amp;comma;2&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;&amp;percnt; of&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;GDP&amp;period;&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;<em>&amp;OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;On the road to zero deficit&amp;comma; taxes and investment will be back on the agenda"&amp;comma;<&sol;em>&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;announced today&amp;nbsp&amp;semi;<strong><a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;publico&period;pt&sol;2019&sol;03&sol;27&sol;economia&sol;noticia&sol;caminho-defice-zero-carga-fiscal-investimento-voltam-ajudar-1866919" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">Público<&sol;a><&sol;strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;publico&period;pt" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" aria-label&equals;" &lpar;opens in a new tab&rpar;"><&sol;a><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;