Debt: AL should save R$ 380 million
The decision by the Ministry of Finance to suspend the payment of monthly installments on state debts to the federal government until the end of 2016 will bring Alagoas savings of approximately R$ 318 million, equivalent to just over R$ 53 million per month currently paid; according to Governor Renan Filho, the accepted proposal is a good sign, but it doesn't solve everything.
Alagoas 247 - With the decision by the Ministry of Finance to suspend the payment of monthly installments on state debts to the Union until the end of 2016, Alagoas should save approximately R$ 318 million, equivalent to just over R$ 53 million per month currently paid. Governor Renan Filho informed that, with this decision, the State will have to repay, in installments, the amount not paid due to the decision of the Supreme Federal Court (STF).
According to Renan, the accepted proposal is a good sign, but it doesn't solve everything. "We still can't think about new projects. The first step is to organize the state's finances to face the crisis," he stressed.
After a meeting with the Minister of Finance, Henrique Meirelles, on Monday afternoon (20), in Brasília, the proposal accepted by the federal government gives a grace period of 24 months, with the first 6 months having a 100% discount for governors. From January 2017, this discount will be gradually reduced, by approximately 5,5 percentage points per month, until June 2018.
The state of Alagoas took out a loan of R$ 1,8 billion upfront and has already paid R$ 10 billion; another R$ 10 billion remains to be paid. According to Governor Renan Filho (PMDB), this is hindering state investments.
Alagoas pays almost R$ 54 million monthly in interest alone. The amount saved in the coming months should serve to boost actions in the areas of education, health, and security.
In return, the states must impose a ceiling on spending growth in line with the previous year's inflation. Furthermore, salary increases for state employees must also be limited to the inflation rate for a period of two years.
As part of the agreement between the governors and the federal government, the action that granted 14 states the right to this discount over 24 months was withdrawn. Furthermore, debts acquired by the states from BNDES (Brazilian Development Bank) were given a longer repayment period of 10 years, with a four-year grace period.
With gazetaweb.com and Agência Alagoas