Fonteles: "The government did its part and the cost was reduced."
The State Secretary of Finance, Rafael Fonteles, assured that spending has been reduced to address the national economic crisis, which is impacting the states; according to Fonteles, the state has been adopting harsh measures to avoid financial collapse; "The government has done its part and costs have been reduced, which is more important than reducing coordinating bodies," he stated.
Piauí 247 - The State Secretary of Finance, Rafael Fonteles, guaranteed this Tuesday (17), that he reduced spending to face the national economic crisis, which impacts the states.
According to Fonteles, the state has been adopting harsh measures to avoid a financial collapse. "The government has done its part and reduced costs, which is more important than cutting coordinating bodies," said the head of the department during an interview with Jornal do Piauí.
The government sent a package of measures to the Legislative Assembly that increases taxes. The secretary stated that the actions are essential for the state to avoid compromising its finances.
Fontes said that appointed officials only account for 2% of the payroll and that the biggest deficit is in social security.
The head of the Finance Department also denied defaulting on payments to suppliers and said that contracts will be paid at the appropriate time. According to Fonteles, decree number 17.404 of October 6, 2017, is a "normal measure" and a means of transparency in finances. "We are doing the same thing that has been done in previous years, providing transparency on what is a priority to be paid and to keep essential services running. It is an absolutely normal decree," he said.