INSS sets target of R$20 billion for 2024 – 09/20/2023 – Rômulo Saraiva

While the INSS begins to organize its 2024 budget, whose initial expenditure is in the order of R$897.7 billion, the government adopted the strategy of reducing expenses through cuts in social security benefits, which, according to the TCU (Court of Union accounts), are being paid unduly.

The goal is to save somewhere between R$12.5 billion and R$20 billion with cuts in social security benefits. Saving resources from the cessation of benefits is risky, as there is no precision as to which are being unduly paid, nor their financial repercussions.

By previously establishing a financial goal, the year 2024 can begin with a kind of witch hunt so that the goal is achieved at all costs, mainly due to the fact that this amount has been skipped from the budget.

These reduction measures are being taken based on guidance from the TCU, although the government has not made public the study carried out by the court of accounts nor the criteria adopted. These are projections made by the Court of Auditors and, naturally, they may have errors. If they exist, society will simply have to agree with them, since the data has not been made public.

As published by the Sheet, the TCU rulings indicate potential of R$2.9 billion with the correction of irregularities and R$6.6 billion with the review of possible undue payments due to the absence of medical expertise within the established deadline. The INSS issued a technical note estimating that it is possible to recover R$12.5 billion through reduction measures.

The executive’s estimate was more ambitious. The Minister of Planning, Simone Tebet, publicly stated that the cut will be in the order of R$20 billion in the INSS through the review and fine-tooth comb operation on the list of beneficiaries. The idea is to investigate fraud and errors in benefits granted during 2021 and 2022.

Initially, there is a divergence between the planned savings of R$12.5 billion, announced by the INSS, and R$20 billion, the amount mentioned by Tebet. What is the basis behind these numbers? Why the difference between short-term projections? Are the numbers overestimated?

The government presents a figure, but does not explain how it arrived at it.

Purging the payroll of those who are unduly receiving social security benefits is healthy, necessary and legal. But this needs to be done sparingly.

For example, the INSS does not have the administrative structure to try to clear the INSS queue, estimated at 1.69 million people waiting for a response, and at the same time undertake a grandiose comb operation, something that is not done only through artificial intelligence . As the INSS budget for the year 2024 was reduced in favor of this expectation of credit recovery, there will be pressure for the fine-toothed operation to end anyway next year.

The problem with carrying out fine-tooth operations without much discretion and aiming only at financial results, such as the audacious target of R$20 billion, is committing injustices on a large scale. Traditionally, the fine-tooth comb operation is known for unduly and hastily terminating many benefits. The new edition of the 2024 fine-tooth comb should be no different, especially after the government set this billion-dollar target.

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