In January, the federal government paid R $ 556.35 million in delayed debts from five states and one municipality, the National Treasury Secretariat said on Monday. Were R $ 218.43 million of Minas Gerais; R $ 106.92 million from Rio Grande do Norte; R $ 79.96 million from Rio de Janeiro; R $ 76.81 million from Rio Grande do Sul; R $ 74.16 million of Goiás and R $ 68.09 thousand from the municipality of Santanópolis (BA).
The values are of debts guaranteed by the Union and not honored. Guarantees represent the assets offered by the Union to cover any defaults on loans and financing from states, municipalities and other entities with national banks or foreign institutions.
As a guarantee of operations, the Union is communicated by creditors that there was no discharge of a certain portion of the contract. In total, since 2016, the Union has paid R $ 75.99 billion in debt of states and municipalities. Of this amount, R $ 5,673 billion were recovered until January this year.
Failure to comply with obligations within the stipulated period authorizes the Treasury to compensate for debts discounting the amount with blockages of ordinary federal transfers, as well as preventing further financing.
“If states or municipalities fail to pay installments of contracts guaranteed by the Union, it will be up to her to honor the amounts in default before the original creditors and to execute the countertias offered by them by contracts of contrast [que são firmados entre a União e os entes tomadores de crédito]. In addition to the original amount due, they are charged from the debtor interest rates, fines and other charges provided for in the loan contracts, also paid by the Union, ”says the Treasury.
There are cases, however, to block the execution of the countergarters, due to judicial decisions. This is the case of the State of Maranhão and the municipalities of Taubaté (SP) and Caucaia (CE), whose total pending receipt is R $ 652.89 million.
Of this total, R $ 315.1 million refers to a Maranhão debt with Bank of America; R $ 193.31 million due by Taubaté to the Andean Corporation of Development (CAF) and R $ 36.72 million also due to CAF by Caucaia.
The Treasury also reported that the Union honored R $ 107.76 million due to Bird by Rio Grande do Norte. The Secretariat clarifies, however, that the value of each honored guarantee is updated daily by Selic, the basic interest rate, from the date of honor.
Regarding refinancing processes, the Treasury informs that the states of Alagoas, Espírito Santo, Maranhão, Pernambuco and Piauí, obtained court decisions allowing the suspension of debt payments guaranteed by the Union to compensate for losses in the collection of the circulation of goods and Services (ICMS).
The total suspended values reached R $ 1.90 billion. The payment of R $ 128.60 million of Alagoas were suspended; R $ 61.90 million from Espírito Santo; 479.70 million from Maranhão; R $ 888.10 million Pernambuco and R $ 296.30 million from Piauí.
