Representatives of social movements and civil society organizations expressed concern and demanded that the government reevaluate the proposals for change in the rules of the Continuous Payment Benefit (BPC), which are part of the cost cutting package forwarded to the National Congress.
According to the Minister of the General Secretariat, Márcio Macêdo, who coordinates with the organized movements, the demands were presented to the economic team, but there is no guarantee that they will be met.
The package tightens the rules for accessing the program by changing criteria for calculating family income. Currently, BPC serves more than 6.02 million low-income citizens (with family income per capita equal to or less than a quarter of the minimum wage), among elderly people over 65 years of age and people with disabilities. Beneficiaries receive payment of a minimum wage.
“We listened to the movements, there are things that I agree with, that they are saying, and I will defend within the government, but there was no commitment to change, who will evaluate this is the economic team led by the minister [da Fazenda] Fernando Haddad”, said Macêdo, in conversation with journalists, this Tuesday morning (17), at Palácio do Planalto.
According to Macêdo, the demands of the movements are that the BPC does not cease to be an individual benefit; that there is no change in income and the concept of the family group, with a single income ceiling; that there is no change in the concept of people with disabilities – [para eles, “o BPC não pode estar restrito só ao conceito de incapaz para o trabalho]; and that there are exceptions to the mandatory nature of biometrics, for some types of disabilities.
“This debate has to be held in the National Congress”, defended Macêdo. “There must be a Congress that understands, that has the concern that we are having with the country, of controlling public spending, but that understands the need for investments in public policies to change people’s lives for the better”, he added.
Meeting
The meeting of the Social Participation Council of the Presidency of the Republic, with more than 300 representatives of civil society organizations, was held yesterday (16) with the presence of the special secretary for Government Analysis of the Civil House, Bruno Moretti, and the secretary of Politics Economist of the Ministry of Finance, Guilherme Mello.
The changes to the BPC rules initially presented by the government are:
▪ Annual proof of life, as for retirees, in addition to biometrics and facial recognition to grant the benefit;
▪ Focus on disabled people;
▪ Prohibition of income deduction (to qualify for receiving the benefit) not provided for by law;
▪ Income of spouse and non-cohabiting partner and income of cohabiting siblings, children and stepchildren (not just singles) now count towards access;
▪ Mandatory update for records that are more than 24 months out of date and for benefits granted administratively without an International Disease Code (ICD);
▪ Mandatory biometrics for registration updates;
▪ In the same family, income from one benefit counts again towards access to another benefit
To the proposals are being processed in the Chamber of Deputies and, faced with criticism from the PT bench, the Ministry of Finance itself has already admitted that it can adjust questions about BCP to enable voting on the package. The department’s executive secretary, Dario Durigan, stated that the adjustments will be small and should not have an impact on the expected resource savings.
The government wants cut R$327 billion in spending by 2030, saving R$71.9 billion in 2025 and 2026 alone.
Ministerial reform
During breakfast with journalists, Macêdo was also asked about rumors that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will carry out a ministerial reform, including changes in command of the General Secretariat.
According to the minister, there is no discussion in the government about ministerial reform, but President Lula is free to make changes “whenever he wants”.
“I have a very good relationship with the President of the Republic, thank God, I have lived with the President very directly since 2015, ten years of direct coexistence”, said Macêdo, talking about his role within the PT and his political activism in support for Lula.
“I come from deep Brazil. I’m not from São Paulo, nor the South, nor the Southeast. I am the son of a peasant and a housewife, who was born in the interior of northeastern Brazil. I was saved by education,” he said. “It must really bother people to see someone from the people, a militant, at the top. I have prepared myself throughout my life technically and politically to serve the project I believe in for the country”, added the minister.
