Brazil austerity move slammed as disaster for the poor
Brazil austerity move slammed as disaster for the poor
11 hours ago
Critics say government bid to pull country out of worst recession in decades with drastic measure hurts poorest most.
By Sam Cowie
Sao Paulo, Brazil - The government's attempt to pull the country out of its worst recession in decades via a drastic austerity measure has been blasted by critics - including a UN special rapporteur - as a disaster for the poor.
The constitutional amendment known as PEC 55 passed the final vote in Brazil’s senate on Tuesday by 53 votes to 16 and will see federal spending on health, education, infrastructure and science and technology frozen for up to 20 years - and only adjusted for inflation.
Laura Carvalho, a professor of economics at the University of Sao Paulo and a columnist for the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, said freezing spending while the population is still growing will result in a per capita investment fall per user, causing services to deteriorate.
"It's a really tragic scenario, especially for the most vulnerable part of the population who rely on social programmes and public health and education," she said.
More:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/brazil-austerity-move-slammed-disaster-poor-161217185527208.html
