norma-travão
Published 6 November 2026, 09:07
norma-travão (the constitutional "emergency brake")
The rule in Article 167 of the Constitution: MPs cannot put forward proposals that, in the current budget year, increase state spending or reduce state revenue as set in the budget.
Where you come across it. Arguments about whether parliament can vote for a tax cut in the middle of the year at all.
The way round it is postponement: the bill says the law comes into force after the next state budget is adopted. In practice this means that even a tax cut that has been passed will not take effect this year.
Official website: parlamento.pt