The 2007 Budget Guidelines Law (Lei de Diretrizes Orçamentárias, LDO) submitted, Tuesday, April 18, by the Brazilian federal government contains an innovation. The bill states that, if the budget is not approved by December 31, the government is authorized to spend funds.
"This measure represents a throwback," the president of the National Congress, senator Renan Calheiros (PMDB party, Alagoas state) remarked.
"The leaders need to mobilize their blocs for us to vote the budget within a defined period, because this backwards step makes no sense," he commented.
Tarso Genro, minister of the Secretariat of Institutional Relations, said that the measure is open to negotiations.
"The LDO is in the hands of the Congress, which has the right to modify it as it sees fit, and we are open to negotiations in order for it to be voted in its entirety."
The LDO provides guidelines for the execution of the annual budget.
Agência Brasil
