Over the past decade, thousands of young and educated Portuguese people have left the country in search of opportunities elsewhere in Europe.

Portugal’s government is offering a decade of progressive tax breaks to its young as it bids to keep the country’s 18-to-35-year-olds at home and reverse a future-sapping brain drain. Under the proposed scheme,

Portugal is planning to turn itself into a low-tax haven for young adults by offering a decade of tax breaks to people starting their careers in an effort to halt a growing brain drain. The country’s centre-right government wants to reduce the income tax burden on young people for 10 years — including a first year in which no tax is due — under a plan that has few precedents in global fiscal policy.

The Portuguese government is proposing to slash taxes for under-35s in an attempt to dissuade young people from emigrating - and encourage foreigners to settle in Portugal. As part of the annual budget,

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro wants to see income tax lowered for under-35s, specifically those earning up to €28,000 (£23,400).