Shortages can occur if there is no increase in freight, says CNT president

in interview to CNN This Wednesday (11), the president of the National Transport Confederation (CNT), Vander Costa, said that there is no climate for transporters to stop, but that there may be a shortage of trucks if transport companies decide not to increase freight after the increase. of the diesel price announced by Petrobras.

“We do not see any climate of stoppage, but the risk of shortages can occur for that sector that is not sensitive to increasing freight. Transporters are aware that a strike will not contribute to the social development of Brazil, but there has to be a price balance to guarantee supply,” he said.

Costa stressed that the immediate impact of the diesel oil price readjustment will be the increase in road freight and passenger transport tariffs.

“The biggest difficulty is in urban passenger transport, as prices are authorized by city halls and the lack of this transfer or some subsidy is causing a lack of transport in several cities in Brazil”, he declared.

“Mayors have two options: increase the ticket price and transfer it to the population, or use public resources that they can afford and partially subsidize urban passenger transport,” he added.

The CNT president also said that there is an alternative in which the federal government would be responsible for paying for the increase, if it gives up Petrobras’ dividend income as it is the company’s largest shareholder.

“The government is declaring that Petrobras’ profit is high, but it participates in this profit in two ways, in taxation and in dividends. So, one option is to give up the dividends and subsidize the high cost at origin to make the population suffer less”, pointed out Vander Costa.

Text published by Fabricio Julião Filho