The government leader in the Senate, Senator Carlos Portinho (PL/RJ), stated that the government wants to use the R$ 30 billion contribution in a solution to reduce fuel prices, increasing the value of Auxílio Brasil, the gas voucher and voucher creation for truck drivers.
The proposal must be in the text of the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution 16/2022, known as PEC of Fuels.
The announcement was made amid an attempt to negotiate with the states to zero the ICMS on fuels, receiving this amount as compensation.
However, the government now proposes that, in order for the benefit to reach the population directly, an increase of R$ 200.00 in Auxílio Brasil, for low-income families, and the voucher for all autonomous transporters of R$ 1000, 00, which access will be regulated by the Ministry of Economy.
“So there is a convergence that, possibly changing, replacing this compensation for governments with more effective measures that we are sure will reach the end in terms of aid, right? Both the increase in Brazil aid, the truck driver voucher, the gas aid, which are social policies and many of them already underway in the country, are more effective,” said Portinho at a press conference.
Portinho also stated that the idea of zeroing the ICMS has not yet been ruled out, but that at the moment due to the “insensitive” position of the governors, it was necessary to present different measures for the PEC on Fuels.
“The idea was not abandoned, if there is a commitment from the states, it is the best proposal, zero ICMS, it is the original proposal, the Government proposal and the best, but the least fear for the acts that the governors have been adopting, insensitive to the moment and the population makes us take these other alternatives, because what the Government wants, especially the Senate, is that it reaches the end for those who pay the price of fuel”, he added.
Also according to Carlos Portinho, regardless of whether it is an election year, there is no impediment in the legislation and it will be possible to create the voucher for truck drivers due to the state of international emergency, due to the Russian war against Ukraine, which had an impact on fuel.
“Those programs that are in effect such as Brazil aid and the gas voucher can, without any discussion, be increased and the truck driver voucher can because it is the moment of international emergency that is pressing and that has an impact on the accounts of Brazilians, on the freight, on the value of the product on the supermarket shelf (…) a war, in which we are not part, but we suffer the consequences and therefore it is an emergency”, he said.
The government leader also informed that it is possible that the draftsman of the proposal will conclude the accounts with the Ministry of Economy later this week and the vote will take place next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Source: CNN Brasil
