TCM-SP questions the Tarcísio government about the sale of Sabesp – 03/03/2024 – Panel

The Court of Auditors of the Municipality of São Paulo sent letters to the Tarcísio de Freitas government (Republicans) and to Sabesp requesting information regarding the documentation made available on February 15th for public consultation on the privatization of the state-owned company.

In the letters, the capital’s court of accounts points out that the documentation presented does not include compliance with the conditions established in a term signed by the City of São Paulo and the state management in August of last year.

On the occasion, Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) signed a term of adhesion for the capital to the so-called Urae 1, one of the four Regional Water Supply and Sanitation Units. Urae facilitates privatization because Sabesp’s negotiations with cities can be done as a block, and no longer individually.

Among these conditions established by the end of 2023 are the allocation of 7.5% of the revenue obtained by Sabesp in the capital to the municipal sanitation fund, the maintenance of investment in services at 13% of revenue in the capital and the anticipation of universal access to the city’s sewage network.

In the letters, TCM-SP also points out the need to resolve financial issues between São Paulo City Hall and Sabesp before the privatization process is completed.

As revealed by the Panel, the Ricardo Nunes administration demands that Sabesp reimburse consumers in São Paulo for taxes that have been charged double on the water bill since 2018. Furthermore, the city council estimates that it has a debt of around R$2.5 billion in court orders with the state company.

LINK PRESENT: Did you like this text? Subscribers can access five free accesses from any link per day. Just click the blue F below.