Simone Tebet defends fiscal responsibility as a pillar of democracy and citizenship.

247 - The Minister of Planning and Budget, Simone Tebet, argued this Tuesday (2) that fiscal responsibility should be understood as an instrument for promoting social justice in Brazil. The statement was made during the opening of the seminar Spending Review: Improving fiscal management for more resilient economies, held in Brasilia.

According to Tebet, only continuous planning, coupled with monitoring of public policies, can guarantee that resources are applied efficiently, combating fraud and reducing waste. For her, responsible fiscal management is an indispensable condition for the country to advance in reducing social inequalities and ensuring dignity for the population.

Efficiency and resource reallocation

In her speech, the minister emphasized that the spending review should not be seen as a cut, but rather as a prioritization process. "It's about prioritizing. It's about taking from where it's not needed and putting it where it's needed. After all, we are still an unequal country. Fiscal responsibility is precisely to guarantee social justice. That's why we're here," she stated.

Tebet added that the organization of public finances is a fundamental pillar of democracy. "Planning, reviewing spending, and taking care of public finances will be fundamental, and with this we will be able to guarantee democracy, citizenship, and dignity for all Brazilian women and men," she declared.

International participation and technical cooperation

The event, promoted by the Secretariat for Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Policies and Economic Affairs (SMA/MPO), brought together national authorities and representatives from international organizations such as the OECD and the World Bank. Delegations from Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and South Africa also participated.

Paula Martínez, head of operations for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Brazil, highlighted the importance of the meeting for strengthening fiscal management in the country. “Today we are joined by representatives from various states that have been making significant progress in modernizing fiscal management tools and seeking higher quality in public spending. These efforts are fundamental to consolidating a results-oriented planning culture,” she stated.

Challenges of the public budget

At the ceremony, the Minister of the Federal Court of Accounts, Antônio Anastasia, warned that the misallocation of resources compromises the quality of services offered to the population. He described tax expenditure as "the most painful thorn" in the fiscal review process and highlighted the need for greater transparency regarding the real impact of expenses.

Senator Confúcio Moura (MDB-RO) drew attention to the country's budgetary rigidity. According to him, more than 90% of the federal budget is committed to mandatory expenses, which significantly reduces the government's investment capacity. "When the budget is opened, there's very little a president can do, other than transfer money to municipalities, transfer money to the other branches of government, transfer money to health, to education, to everyone. So, there's very little room left for the government to actually direct its policies and programs," he explained.

Space for debate and innovation.

The seminar, held at the Banco do Brasil headquarters, also included the participation of parliamentarians, state secretaries of Finance and Planning, academics, and representatives of civil society. The program includes technical debates on the institutionalization of spending reviews in Brazil, governance among sectoral bodies, and monitoring mechanisms.