Government provides Brazil Aid of R$ 600 and gas vouchers in August; see calendar and other benefits

President Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) bet to boost his popularity on the eve of the election, the temporary expansion of social benefits can reach the pockets of those covered by the measures at different times.

The increase became possible despite the impediments of electoral legislation and fiscal rules because the government articulated a PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution) in Congress to allow the expansion of payments, in a scenario in which President Jair Bolsonaro persists in second place. place in the presidential polls.

If, on the one hand, the operationalization of the additional installments of Auxílio Brasil and Auxílio Gás is considered a simple task, on the other hand, the payment of aid to truck drivers and taxi drivers is considered more complex.

In addition, government technicians warn that the bill of R$ 41.25 billion to be executed outside the expenditure ceiling to cover expenses includes only a part of the operating costs. The amount that will need to be financed with ordinary resources from the Budget is still uncertain.

The government’s forecast is that the additional R$ 200 in Auxílio Brasil will begin to be paid in August, less than two months before the election. Withdrawals will be made between the 18th and 31st, according to the final number of the NIS (Social Identification Number).

The intention is that, with the extra benefit, 18.15 million families already covered by the program will receive at least R$ 600 monthly by the end of 2022.

The government also promises to eliminate the waiting list, including families registered and eligible for the benefit on the date of promulgation of the PEC that assists Bolsonaro.

The government’s forecast is to include just over 2 million families among the program’s beneficiaries, but the final number will depend on how many will be effectively qualified within the foreseen period.

The proposal also provides for the double payment of the Gas Aid from July 1st, but, as the benefit is bimonthly, the next transfer is scheduled for August. Reports made to Sheet indicate that there is no provision in the Ministry of Citizenship to anticipate this calendar.

In June, 5.7 million low-income families received R$ 53, equivalent to 50% of the average price of a gas cylinder in the country. Between August and December, the amount will increase to R$ 120. Payment dates follow the same calendar as Auxílio Brasil.

The operating costs to pay the extra amounts of the two aids are already included in the budget reserved for the measures. The same does not occur with aid to truck drivers and taxi drivers, whose implementation is considered a little more complex.

In the case of the R$ 1,000 voucher for truck drivers, a list of beneficiaries is being prepared by the Ministry of Infrastructure, based on the registration of autonomous transporters by ANTT (National Land Transport Agency).

This registry has autonomous truck drivers, but also owners of vans and other smaller vehicles. The biggest challenge is to identify who is actually active.

The list will be passed on to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, which already has the expertise to run a payroll of this size with agility. Technicians believe it is feasible to make the payment in July, if the PEC that helps Bolsonaro on the eve of the elections is enacted this week.

The ministry has experience with other benefits and has implemented, for example, the BEm — an emergency benefit paid by the National Treasury during the pandemic to workers who had reduced hours and wages.

In addition, the text of the PEC that helps Bolsonaro was designed so that the devices are self-applicable, that is, capable of implementation without the need for an MP (Provisional Measure) detailing the payment rules.

The strategy prevents Bolsonaro from having to leave his fingerprint on the measures, enacted directly by Congress. Despite this, the Chief Executive will need to publish an MP opening the extraordinary credit to release the resources.

The biggest question is how to get the aid for taxi drivers off paper, inserted at the last minute in the vote in the Federal Senate and for which R$ 2 billion is reserved.

Taxi concessions and permits are registered at the municipal level, but it is possible to check the data through the Senatran (National Traffic Department) database. However, the owner of the sign is not necessarily the taxi driver, the target audience of the measure.

To filter the beneficiaries, it would be necessary to cross-reference Senatran’s information with other databases that contain the individuals’ CPF. Each consultation is charged by Serpro, a government company that provides this type of service.

In addition to the lack of resources to fund this operation, the ability to consolidate this registration is still a question among technicians, who are betting on the “pooling” of taxi assistance resources — that is, even released, the money may end up unused.

The PEC also provides for a transfer of R$ 3.8 billion to states that grant tax credits to ethanol producers and distributors, which in practice reduces the tax paid by these taxpayers.

Another measure is a transfer of BRL 2.5 billion to municipalities to help pay for the free use of urban public transport for the elderly, avoiding higher fares.

The proposal also provides for an additional R$ 500 million in the budget of the Alimenta Brasil program, which finances the purchase of food from family farmers for donation.

WHEN DO PAYMENTS BEGIN?

Brazil aid

• An additional R$ 200 will begin to be paid on the August payroll, which will be paid between the 18th and 31st, according to the beneficiary’s final NIS number.
• The PEC also authorizes the inclusion of new beneficiary families. The government’s forecast is to contemplate just over 2 million, in addition to the 18.15 million that already receive the benefit.

See payment schedule for Auxílio Brasil of R$ 600

Gas Allowance

• The benefit will be paid in double, valid between July and December, in the amount of R$ 120. As the payment is bimonthly, the next transfer to families will be made in August

Aid to truck drivers

• In the amount of R$ 1,000, the benefit depends on the ministries of Infrastructure and of Labor and Social Security to be implemented. Payment is expected to be made by the end of July.

Assistance for taxi drivers

• It is considered the most difficult to be operationalized, as it requires crossing data from different databases. No operational forecast yet.