President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that it would be great if it were possible to meet the government’s goal of eliminating the primary deficit this year, but if that doesn’t happen, it will be great as well.
In an interview with Rádio Itatiaia during a visit to Minas Gerais on Thursday, Lula acknowledged that the discussion about the fiscal target frequently arises, but he does not like when that debate happens.
“This is a discussion that occasionally arises and I don’t like it when it does. You spend as much as you earn,” said Lula. “If it is possible to achieve a zero surplus, great. If not, that’s great too.”
In the interview, the president also commented on the exemption of the payroll tax for 17 sectors and said that Congress did not impose any countermeasures when it approved the renewal of the measure. Lula said that a solution still needs to be found for this issue.
Lula’s statement comes amid a clash between the Executive and the Legislative branches over the renewal, which was approved by Congress, vetoed by the president, but upheld by the lawmakers’ overturning the veto.
