Finance Minister Fernando Haddad (Workers’ Party) and Environment Minister Marina Silva (Sustainability Network) attended, this Tuesday (17), a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. At the event, which gathers the world’s economic leaders, they talked about the main goals of the third presidential mandate of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party). They said they expect the national economy to grow above the world’s average in the coming years and in an environmentally sustainable way.
Haddad stated that the government has plans to reindustrialize the country, focusing on the so-called green economy. He said there are expectations of approving, in the first half of this year, the tax reform that is being discussed in Congress. This would help the resumption of investments and the acceleration of growth.
“We can grow above the world’s average,” said the minister.
Marina, in turn, talked about repositioning Brazil in the debate on environmental issues and global warming. She recalled that the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 30) will probably take place in the city of Belém in 2025 and said Brazil can lead initiatives for environmental protection in the world.
The minister also demanded that other nations fulfill the commitments they made to tackle global warming, since Brazil’s efforts alone will not solve the issue. “We can end deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. However, if other countries do nothing, the global temperature will rise, and the forest will be at risk.”
Social Agenda
Haddad also stated that the Lula government will always pursue economic growth parallel to a decrease in social inequality. The minister said he hopes income tax reform will be approved in the second semester. The project is different from the proposal for reform that is already being discussed, which focuses on consumption taxes. Therefore, it would be an additional measure to reorganize the country’s tax system.
“In the second semester, we intend to vote for income tax reform to exempt the poorest strata of the population and tax those who aren’t currently paying taxes. A lot of people in Brazil don’t pay taxes. We need to rebalance the tax system,” he said.
Haddad also said that the government will have a permanent policy to value the minimum wage and measures to tackle the indebtedness of the poorest families.
Coup acts
The panel Haddad and Marina attended began with questions about Brazil’s political situation after the coup acts of January 8. Haddad said that the far right in Brazil is strong and organized, but the institutions were able to respond effectively when democracy was at risk.
Marina said the coup attempts destabilized the country, which is bad for development and investment. She stated that the government is working to hold coup plotters accountable and, therefore, prevent further acts like this from occurring.
