Lula sanctions project that authorizes lower health spending floor in 2023

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) sanctioned this Tuesday (24) the bill that authorizes a lower floor for federal health spending in 2023. The measure was included in the project that releases compensation of R$27 billion to states and municipalities for the loss of revenue with the reduction in the Tax on the Circulation of Goods or Services (ICMS) on fuels.

With the approval of the measure, the government is exempt from the obligation to allocate 15% of Net Current Revenue (RCL) to health, saving between R$15 billion and R$20 billion. The excerpt was included in the text by the rapporteur in the Chamber of Deputies, deputy Zeca Dirceu (PT-PR), at the request of the government. The device reduces the additional spending needed to pay for the Health floor, from R$20 billion to R$5 billion in 2023, the newspaper reported The globe.

Furthermore, Lula vetoed an excerpt from the new complementary law that obliged the federal government to assume transfers to the municipalities and to the Basic Education Development Fund (Funded), if the states did not make the payment. The justification was the lack of budgetary and financial forecasting. The presidential veto will still be analyzed by the National Congress. For a veto to be overturned, at least an absolute majority of votes from deputies (257) and senators (41) are required.