* 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”.
End of preview - This article contains approximately 159 words.
Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article
Not a Subscriber?
Choose from one of the following options