The return of R$ 45 billion from the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) to the National Treasury and the increase in collection should make the government’s indebtedness end the year in a fall, said today (27) the Secretary of the National Treasury, Paulo valley. According to him, the Gross Public Debt of the General Government (DBGG) should end 2022 at 76.2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP, the sum of goods and services produced in the country), against 80.3% in 2021.
According to the secretary, the indicator practically reached the pre-pandemic level. “We see a reduction of 4.1 percentage points from 2021 to 2022. Compared to the debt level of 2019, it is an increase of 1.8 percentage points”, said Valle.
Due to the extra expenses incurred in dealing with the covid-19 pandemic, mainly emergency aid and the relief package for states and municipalities, DBGG went from 75.4% in 2019 to 88.6% in 2020.
On Tuesday (25), the BNDES announced the return of R$ 69.078 billion in government bonds and National Treasury financial instruments that are still in its portfolio. Of this total, R$ 45 billion will be reimbursed to the Treasury until November 30. The remainder will be returned by the same date in 2023.
The return of Treasury resources held by BNDES is part of an agreement reached with the Federal Audit Court (TCU) in January 2021. In December last year, the reimbursement schedule was revised and provided for reimbursement until the end of 2023.
Collection
In addition to the ruling with the TCU, the Secretary of the Treasury said that the record collection recorded this year will cause gross public debt to fall. Without detailing numbers, Paulo Valle added that preliminary data show that the collection will come higher than expected in October. He maintained the forecast, presented last month, that the Central Government – National Treasury, Social Security and Central Bank – should end 2022 with a primary surplus of around BRL 40 billion.
This week, the Federal Revenue announced that the collection for September reached the best result for the month since 2000. According to Valle, the year is being influenced by atypical revenues, resulting from the increase in profits of fuel companies after the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Budget
The Treasury secretary said that the 2023 Budget will have to be re-discussed based on the priorities identified by the president-elect. That’s because the bill sent to Congress at the end of August does not incorporate space for recent pledges by candidates. “Now post-election, I think [o orçamento] it will have to be discussed with the president-elect according to priorities”, he said.
According to the Secretary of the Treasury, the proposal was prepared “on the basis of the current framework”. The text does not include a real readjustment for the minimum wage, pensions and civil service, nor the definitive maintenance of the minimum amount of R$ 600 for Auxílio Brasil, which will return to R$ 400 in December, unless Congress approves a proposal. amendment to the Constitution.
