Conversations between the economic team and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva around cutting mandatory spending are progressing, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said this Tuesday (29). He, however, stated that there are no numbers or predicted date for announcing the measures.
“We are doing the math for him [o presidente Lula] to do something fine”, revealed the minister when leaving for a meeting with the vice-president and minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, Geraldo Alckmin.
Haddad said he will meet with Lula more often this week. This Monday (28), the minister spoke for around 2 hours with Lula about the review and cost-cutting measures.
According to Haddad, the meeting was “really good”, and the president has not vetoed any measure so far. He only asked for clarification, the answers to which the Ministries of Finance and Planning and Budget are preparing.
The minister reported that he was unaware of an estimate published by the newspaper The Globe last week, according to which the cost-cutting measures would result in savings of R$30 billion to R$50 billion. “I don’t know where that number came from. I never disclosed a number to you. I don’t disclose the number because you only disclose the number after the decision has been made”, highlighted Haddad.
Although he said that the meeting with Lula would take place this Wednesday (30), the meeting was brought forward to early tonight at Palácio da Alvorada. The minister is accompanied by the future president of the Central Bank, Gabriel Galípolo; the executive secretary of Finance, Dario Durigan; and the department’s Secretary of Economic Policy, Guilherme Mello. The president of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), Aloizio Mercadante, also arrived at the Palace.
*Text updated at 6:40 pm to include information about Lula’s meeting with Haddad this Tuesday (29)
