Lira says that fuel increase was a slap in the face of Brazil

The president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), criticized this Thursday (10) what he called Petrobras’ insensitivity in the decision to increase fuel prices and said that the announcement was a “slap in the face” for the country. in its quest to resume growth.

The deputy’s speech is added to that of senators who also criticized the increase in diesel, cooking gas and gasoline by Petrobras announced at the time when Congress was holding a session to discuss projects that seek to contain the escalation of fuel prices.

“Petrobras’ insensitivity to Brazilians, the company’s true owners, surprised me. Today’s increase was a slap in the face for a country struggling to grow again,” wrote Lira, who will seek reelection in October, in a social network.

“Anyone who knows Brazil, in addition to offices and offices, knows the weight of buying a gas cylinder or filling a tank,” added the deputy, who is an ally of the Bolsonaro government. “With the challenging global landscape, even the most orthodox governments are evaluating how to mitigate the impacts of cost pressure across all markets.”

In the opinion of parliamentarians, the state-owned company’s decision should increase the sense of urgency among congressmen so that the proposals on the subject are voted on —​​the Senate approved two texts this Thursday, after the announcement. The analysis of the articles had already been postponed on three occasions. Both projects go to the Chamber.

The rapporteur of the projects, Senator Jean Paul Prates (PT-RN), criticized the readjustment of 18.8% in gasoline and 24.9% in diesel. “We are doing just the opposite. The opposition, the PT, the Senate are working; Petrobras is increasing fuel,” he said.

According to him, “unfortunately” the increase helps in building an agreement so that the issue goes to the vote this Thursday.

The leader of the MDB, Senator Eduardo Braga (MDB-AM), appealed to the government leader in Congress, Eduardo Gomes (MDB-TO), for the Executive to adopt some measure to avoid the increase before the Legislature votes on the proposals. About the subject.

“I hope, leader, that, in light of everything that we have just said here and the effort we are making to understand, that the government can act, because just yesterday we mentioned that it was necessary for Petrobras to wait for the vote that would take place on the today,” he said.

Gomes avoided responding to his colleague’s request, but said that the discussions involving fuel prices represent “a tug-of-war dispute that both sides fall into”.

“To say that this is precisely what we are avoiding today, doing the part of the Senate and the Chamber. I’m sure that this set of actions really aims to stop this bleeding”, he said.

In the assessment of the vice president of the Chamber, Marcelo Ramos (PSD-AM), the price increase is something uncontrollable. “We cannot make a global company like Petrobras unfeasible by artificially repressing the price increase,” he said.

“On the other hand, this forces the National Congress, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies to face measures that manage to cushion this increase for the final consumer. And that’s what we are doing,” he added. “It is necessary to be very careful, to be very accurate in the calibration of these measures, so that they do not border on exaggerated interventionism or fiscal irresponsibility.”

Deputy Marcelo Freixo (PSB-RJ), a pre-candidate for the government of Rio, criticized the increase. “Brazilians earn in reais, but they are paying for gasoline and diesel quoted in dollars. This pricing policy that Jair Bolsonaro maintained at Petrobras is an attack on the development of our country,” he wrote on a social network.

The increase announced by Petrobras takes place in a context of advancing oil prices with the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In the case of gasoline, the adjustment for distributors is 18.8%. The average price will go from R$ 3.25 to R$ 3.86 per liter. For diesel, the increase is even greater, at 24.9%. The value will rise by almost R$ 1 per liter, from R$ 3.61 to R$ 4.51.