Communications Minister Fábio Faria, delivered to the General Secretary of the Presidency a proposal that would allow for the privatization of the post office, on Tuesday, October 14th. The document is a summary of a bill that will be presented to the National Congress after being analyzed by a Federal judicial committee.
The measure allows for private enterprise to participate in the postal delivery market and represents a new political stance by the Bolsonaro government’s dealings with the state owned company. It is also another step forward in Finance Minister Paulo Guede’s privatization agenda. The project also foresees the substitution of the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), for a new entity named the National Communications Agency (Anacom), which, if the bill is approved, would also be responsible for regulating mail services.
The proposal to sell the company has been under technical review by Federal authorities since August of this year, when an analysis led by the National Development Bank (BNDES) began. However, plans to sell the State owned enterprise were already part of the Bolsonaro government’s neo-liberal agenda for quite some time. According to Communications Minister Fábio Faria, the goal is to sell the company by 2021.
Privatizing the Post Office is considered to be a very unpopular measure, criticized by opposition lawmakers, experts and the labor unions that represent the company’s employees.
