This content was published on April 28, 2022 – 03:10 April 28, 2022 – 03:10
Brasilia, 27 December (EFE).- Five months before the elections, the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies this Wednesday approved a measure that will make permanent the social assistance program promoted by the Jair Bolsonaro government and originally only extended for this year.
The House of Commons approved the text with 418 votes in favor and 7 against, which now has to be analyzed by the Senate.
The proposal states that the minimum value of the subsidy is 400 reais (about $80 today) per month, which is a third of the Brazilian minimum wage.
Dubbed “Auxilio Brasil,” which is already being distributed among society’s poorest families, it supplanted the Bolsa Família program, launched in 2003 during the tenure of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro’s biggest political opponent and clear favourite was the elections next October.
To fund this, the Bolsonaro government, which will seek to renew its mandate in the elections, has had to resort to a number of fiscal jugglers such as B. changing the spending ceiling and postponing the payment of statutory debt.
Originally, the social plan was not due to come into effect until 2022, sparking suspicion from the opposition, who denounced it as a “manoeuvre” to bolster support for Bolsonaro, who so far ranks second to Luna in the polls.
However, after months of negotiations, the House of Commons, which is also due to be renewed in October’s election, today backed a proposal to make it permanent and with a minimum value of $80 a month.
“This provision will be a milestone in improving anti-poverty policies and in the development of basic income,” said the project’s rapporteur, Deputy Joao Roma, former Bolsonaro minister and possible candidate for governor of the state of Bahia . Northeast).
The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, also celebrated the approval of the measure.
“Aid to Brazil is now permanent. The Chamber is proving to Brazilians that in a difficult period of opportunity and job recovery, it has social sensitivity and protects those who need it most,” he said, later emphasizing that the value of the benefit “without violating fiscal responsibility” .EFE
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