This Friday (22), former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) criticized the Lula government for the constant postponements of the announcement of the package of measures to cut spending.
In a post on social media, Bolsonaro shared the news that the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, left the announcement of the package until next week.
“Next week never comes. Today, taxes are increased, fees are charged and in the meantime nothing concrete for the people. Only personal benefits for the organization and those closest to us”, wrote Bolsonaro, this Friday (22).
“Our management reduced taxes on food, medicine and products in general and revenue increased due to the freedom of choice given to the people”, he added.
Haddad announced blocking of R$5 billion from the budget
This Thursday (21), Haddad confirmed that the government will block around R$5 billion in the 2024 Budget.
The exact value, according to him, still depends on a variable being analyzed by the Ministry of Planning (MPO), but a new contingency will not be necessary this year.
The blockade had been confirmed earlier by Minister Rui Costa, from the Civil House, and will be announced this Friday (22) by the Budget Execution Board (JEO).
At the same time, the long-awaited spending cut package, which will take effect from 2025, was postponed again.
Haddad confirmed that the guidelines still need to be presented to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), in a meeting that would take place this Friday (22), but was rescheduled for Monday (25).
“We are going to discuss with him the wording of one or another detail, including the agreement that was made with the Defense, which he only learned about informally from me today [quinta]”, said the minister.
The package is a response to the financial market’s concern about the country’s fiscal trajectory and should generate estimated savings of approximately R$70 billion in the first two years. In 2025, the forecast is for R$30 billion in relief in public accounts, while in 2026 the impact should reach R$40 billion.
Haddad avoided confirming the exact numbers, but assured that the measures “will be sufficient to reinforce the fiscal framework”.
