The association released proposals for the 2026 State Budget (OE2026) in a statement today. According to Zero, these proposals promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability, and cover areas such as waste, water, forests, mobility, energy, buildings, and industry.

In the area of mobility, the creation of a national pass that integrates rail and metropolitan transport stands out, promoting a reduction in private car ownership. However, Zero also proposes differentiated tolls based on vehicle weight and a reduction for electric buses, and the allocation of part of the various taxes related to fuel and transportation to the electrification of high-use fleets (e.g., taxis, buses, or commercial vehicles).

The set of measures, already sent to the parliamentary groups and the Government, also includes the application of a tax on plastic packaging placed on the market to finance the European contribution on non-recycled plastics (approximately 200 million euros per year), and the progressive increase of the Waste Management Tax.

"Portugal still deposits or incinerates more than 70% of its urban waste, far from meeting European recycling targets. Zero proposes an annual increase of 10 euros in this tax until 2030, making it less financially attractive to send waste to landfill or incineration, promoting circular solutions, effective selective collection, and overall waste reduction," the document released today states.

Furthermore, when the agricultural sector consumes more than 70% of the water, "but pays only about 5% of the water resource tax, while domestic consumers pay disproportionately more," Zero proposes increasing the Water Resource Tax for agriculture and hydroelectric production. In the same sector, it advocates an urgent review of the 1995 technical regulation on water efficiency in buildings and a suspension of the expansion of state-run collective irrigation systems.

In the area of energy, the environmental association suggests completely unfreezing the carbon tax on fuels, partially frozen since 2022, and financing energy storage.

Zero also wants regulations for exemption from ISP (tax on petroleum and energy products) for biomethane and green hydrogen, and an increase in ISP on fossil fuels. And in buildings, the allocation of 5% of the ISP to support the purchase of heat pumps and electric stoves.