Gleisi calls out the Central Bank for abusive credit card interest rates.

247 - In a post made on social media this Tuesday (28), federal deputy and national president of the PT, Gleisi Hoffmann (PR), criticized the Central Bank regarding the interest rates, considered abusive, charged by credit card companies in Brazil.

The congresswoman pointed out that such rates can reach 411,5% per year, stated that this is the "biggest scandal," and demanded intervention from the Central Bank of Brazil.

"Credit card interest rates reach 411,5%! This is undoubtedly the biggest scandal. High interest rates, a slowing economy, an indebted population, and the question remains: Will the Central Bank watch the scenario deteriorate and do nothing?", Gleisi wrote on Twitter.

It's worth remembering that the Central Bank itself intervened in a similar matter in 2019, when, through a resolution, it regulated the charging of interest on overdrafts. At the time, interest rates were above 300% per year and fell to around 150%.

Federal deputy Linbergh Farias (PT-RJ), based on this, filed on the 16th of last month a bill to limit the interest rate applied to credit cardsThe bill limits interest rates to a maximum of 8% per month.

"The biggest debt burden for Brazilian families is precisely due to credit cards, which carry the highest interest rates on the market. In the current scenario of high unemployment and increased hunger, many are indebted on their credit cards to buy food for their families," the congressman justified when presenting the bill.

“It is unacceptable that credit card companies continue to charge this abusive rate without any type of regulation. Imposing a maximum interest rate charged by financial institutions is a practice in several countries around the world, through usury laws and also specific laws for each type of credit,” he added.