Bolsonaro is not opposed to permanent R$400 Brazil Aid, but a source of funding is needed, says minister

The Minister of Citizenship, João Roma, said this Tuesday (23) that President Jair Bolsonaro is not opposed to the idea of ​​making the value of R$ 400 for Brazil Aid permanent, but he stressed that this is only possible if there is identification of the budget resource source.

Questioned after participating in a public hearing in the Chamber, the minister did not say, however, whether the government is looking for this source of funds to support the proposal.

The increase in Brazil Aid —which succeeded Bolsa Família—to R$400 still depends on the Senate’s approval of the Precatório PEC, so that budget space is opened up for spending. The value, however, would only be valid until December 2022.

“The transitional benefit of BRL 400 is a response to strengthening the economic area, in this period when we are leaving the pandemic, but in which the social and economic effects of the pandemic are still not passing, especially to the poorest group. of our population,” said Roma, after the public hearing.

“Making this benefit to be permanent would be very good, it would strengthen the social assistance policy. It turns out that we need to identify the source of funds for this. Once identified, it would be a very positive thing.”

In light of the information that the government’s base in the Senate supports making the value permanent, Rome reaffirmed the need to identify the budget source.

“There is no opposition, President Bolsonaro is determined to help the most needy Brazilians, but to make this benefit permanent, it is necessary to identify the source of financing,” said the minister.

The president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), who is a pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, said in this Monday that he considered the proposals to maintain the value of R$ 400 beyond December 2022 to be “smart”.

The PEC dos Precatórios should release an increase of BRL 106.1 billion in federal government spending in 2022, an amount that should be used for payment of mandatory expenses (such as retirement and pensions), the expansion of Auxílio Brasil until December 2022 and the extension of the payroll exemption (a measure that reduces taxes paid by companies on employees’ salaries) to 17 sectors.

Rome also avoided, on Tuesday, expressing support for the proposal of the rapporteur of the provisional measure of aid, the deputy Marcelo Aro (PP-MG), to annually correct the value of the benefit for inflation. I just said that the government updated the benefit this year and that it is always necessary to seek harmony between the government’s social and economic areas.

The minister also commented on the decision of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) to determine that the federal government implement, as of 2022, a basic income program for Brazilians living in poverty and extreme poverty, with a per capita income of less than R$ 178 and R$89, respectively.

In general terms, he said that he considers that Brazil’s Auxílio is already an advance in the sense of complying with this decision.