The president said that a deficit of 0.1% or 0.2% is not a problem for the country and that the government does not need to meet targets if it “has more important things to do”
The president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) stated this Tuesday (16.Jul.2024) that he still needs to be convinced by the economic team of the real need to cut spending. He said that there is no problem for the country if there is a deficit of 0.1% or 0.2% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and that the government is not obliged to meet targets if there is “more important things to do”.
“You are not obliged to set a goal and achieve it if you have more important things to do. This country is very big, this country is very powerful. What is small is the minds of the leaders of this country and the minds of some speculators. There is no problem if it is a zero deficit, if it is a 0.1% deficit, if it is a 0.2% deficit. What is important is that this country is growing, that the economy is growing, that employment is growing, that wages are growing.” said in an interview with Record. The broadcaster will publish excerpts of the conversation with the president throughout the day. The full conversation will be shown on “Record Newspaper”.
Although he criticized the fulfillment of the fiscal target, the president stated that his government will “whatever is necessary”to comply with the fiscal framework and said he had more fiscal seriousness than those who “give your opinion on this issue”.
“I said during the campaign: ‘let’s create a country with political, legal, fiscal, economic and social stability’. I can say this responsibility, this commitment to you as if I were saying it to my son, to my wife, I didn’t learn fiscal responsibility at college, I bring it from birth”he said.
Lula repeated one of the main themes of his government, that much of what is considered spending is, for him, investment, such as resources for health and education. “Sometimes I get angry because I am not a first-time sailor. I am the longest-serving president of this country after Getúlio Vargas and Dom Pedro II. I have experience in successful administration.” stated.
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