Credit BB Acessibilidade, a Banco do Brasil line for financing assistive technology for people with disabilities (such as wheelchairs, adaptations in residential properties and hearing aids), has been suspended since August 1st.
The line was created in 2012 and has already had around 99 thousand operations contracted, with disbursements exceeding R$ 812 million. Interest is subsidized by the federal government and there is an exemption from the IOF (Tax on Financial Operations) for financing assistive products.
Banco do Brasil said the line was suspended “due to ongoing discussions about its financial conditions”. The advisory did not specify what these conditions are, but, according to a source close to the negotiations, the bank is negotiating with the government an increase in the subsidy given to this type of credit.
The bank’s advisory said that the negotiations are at an advanced stage and credit will be resumed soon, but did not provide an estimated time frame for this resumption.
Disabled rights lawyer Nicole Sanches says several clients have already reported problems with the suspension. “Including people who were finishing the procedure, just missing the release, causing physical, emotional damage and great impact on everyday life.”
Sanches says that the suspension violates article 75, item I, of the Brazilian Law for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (Law No. is “to facilitate access to specialized credit, including the offer of subsidized credit lines, specific for the acquisition of assistive technology”.
“The only chance to recover a right that has been violated is with lawsuits”, he says.
Sought by the report, the Ministry of Economy said that the demand should be directed to Banco do Brasil. The press office of the Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights stated that it is one of the partners in the initiative, but directed the demand to the National Treasury.
In turn, the National Treasury directed the demand to the Central Bank of Brazil, which, when consulted, said that questions about the strategy of financial institutions in relation to credit lines or other specific financial products should be directed to the respective institutions.
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