Parliament Begins Discussion of 2026 Finance Bill
The people's deputies began discussing the 2026 Finance Bill (PLF) article by article on Saturday morning, during a joint plenary session of the members of the Council of Representatives (House of Representatives) and the Council of Regions and Districts.
Morning Session Voting
During the morning session, a vote was held to proceed with the discussion of the finance bill, to vote on the credits for all missions and special missions, and to present and approve the provisions of the finance bill for the next year, article by article, up to article 28.
Approved Articles
In addition to the general budget provisions (articles 1 to 12), the deputies approved the articles of the first axis of the bill, related to the consecration of the social role of the State (articles 13 to 22). These articles include:
- Encouraging the recruitment of higher education graduates in the private sector
- Expanding the interventions of the National Employment Fund and giving priority to long-term unemployed individuals
- Approving article 15, which provides for an increase in salaries and benefits in the public and private sectors, as well as retirement pensions for the years 2026, 2027, and 2028
Healthcare Sector Reinforcement
Regarding the reinforcement of the healthcare sector, the Council approved the article related to supporting the National Agency for Medicines and Health Products (article 16), as well as the article aiming to extend the scope of the advantage granted to medical equipment imported by hospitals and clinics to include military health facilities (article 17). Additionally, they approved:
- Article 18, concerning the financing of the acquisition of specific medications not included in the basic health insurance regime
- Article 19, related to supporting social security clinics and the center for manufacturing orthopedic devices
Social and Economic Support
The deputies also approved:
- Article 20, related to strengthening the financing resources of social security funds
- Articles 21 and 22, related to expanding the scope of intervention of the Housing Promotion Fund in favor of employees and exempting workers from income tax on transportation services covered by the employer
Supporting Economic Enterprises and Investment
As part of the axis aimed at supporting economic enterprises and encouraging investment for equitable development, the deputies of both parliamentary chambers voted positively on:
- Article 23, related to supporting the financing of economic enterprises in the least developed regions
- Article 24, concerning the support of financing for Community Companies (or Civil Companies) to accelerate their creation and strengthen development and employment
Additional Approved Articles
They also approved articles 24 to 28, related to:
- Supporting the financing of Community Companies to accelerate their creation
- Financing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- Self-financing in favor of project promoters and small businesses, as well as small farmers
State Support for SMEs
The deputies agreed to article 28, which provides for the state to cover the difference between the applied investment loan rate and the average market interest rate in favor of SMEs.
Updated Finance Bill
The 2026 Finance Bill now consists of 61 articles, after being amended and discussed within the joint finance and budget committees of the two councils (Deputies and Regions), and after proposing 7 new articles. The initial bill proposed by the government contained 57 articles, and the deputies rejected 3 of them, namely articles 20, 47, and 50, during the joint finance committee meeting.
