Less than four months before the elections, the Jair Bolsonaro government (PL) and the National Congress decided to expand Auxílio Gás and create aid for truck drivers in response to the rise in fuel prices.
The details were agreed at a meeting between the Minister of the Civil House, Ciro Nogueira, and the presidents of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), this Tuesday (21) .
The information was confirmed by technicians and members of the Planalto Palace.
Auxílio Gás was created in November last year and pays 50% of the value of a 13 kg gas cylinder to beneficiary families every two months. In June, the benefit amount is R$ 53, paid to 5.7 million families.
However, falling sales indicate that the resources are not being used in the purchase of cylinders, says the sector. According to data from the ANP (National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels), sales of cylinders fell by 5.6% in the first four months of 2022, compared to the same period of the previous year.
Between January and March, the volume of cooking gas sold in 13-kilogram cylinders in the country is the lowest since at least 2017, also according to ANP statistics.
According to government sources heard by the Sheetto implement the expansion, one of the models evaluated is to reduce the payment interval, which would go from bimonthly to monthly.
If this is the option chosen, the tendency is to double the cost of the program, which today ranges from R$275 million to R$300 million per month.
In the case of aid, the expectation is to cover between 700,000 and 900,000 self-employed truck drivers. The floor of R$ 400 paid in the Auxílio Brasil program has been a reference in the discussions.
The authorization for expenditures must be included in the same PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution) that is being processed in the Senate and provides for compensation to the states for the reduction of taxes on diesel and gas. The values are outside the spending ceiling, the rule that limits the growth of expenses to the variation of inflation.
Technicians from the economic area are still working on estimates of the additional cost of the measures.
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