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LatinNews Daily - 20 August 2020

In brief: Bolsonaro moots extending emergency basic income

* Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has said that the government supports extending the payment of an emergency basic income, implemented in response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, possibly until the end of the year albeit at a reduced rate. Since the emergency income programme was launched in April, 66.4m Brazilians have received the R$600 (US$108) monthly handout, or R$1,200 for female heads of households. According to Caixa Econômica Federal, the state-run bank which is distributing the money, the government has spent R$161bn so far, with the programme’s total cost for five months estimated at R$254bn. Bolsonaro did not say at what value the emergency basic income might be maintained, saying R$600 is “a lot”, but the economy ministry’s suggestion of R$200 is “little”. Bolsonaro stressed that “the R$600 [weekly amount] is weighing heavily on the country. This isn’t the people’s money, because we don’t have it – this is debt”.

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