State Representative Luiz Paulo (PSD) responded to the statements of former governor Cláudio Castro, who published a video on social media this Tuesday (5) analyzing the financial situation of Rio de Janeiro and attributing the crisis to left-wing governments. Castro's statement came after criticism from federal deputy Otoni de Paula (PSD-RJ), who said that the "right" had broken the state.
In the video, Castro revisits administrations dating back to the 1990s and mentions Luiz Paulo, recalling that the parliamentarian was vice-governor during Marcello Alencar's administration. This reference prompted a reaction from the state representative.
Direct response to the statements
Luiz Paulo disputed the interpretation made by the former governor and said he had been unfairly singled out as responsible for the crisis. "The former governor placed me as one of those responsible for the crisis, because in his fiction, it was the left-wing governments that were responsible for the mismanagement," he stated.
The legislator also cited his participation in another state government to refute the argument. According to him, Castro was vice-governor during Wilson Witzel's administration, but he does not attribute the leadership of that administration to himself.
Public debt and renegotiation
The congressman highlighted that the renegotiation of state debt with the federal government, carried out in 1997, was not exclusive to Rio de Janeiro. He recalled that the measure was approved by the National Congress and established correction criteria that impacted the growth of indebtedness.
“The governments had to accept it. There was no other way. At that time, the state's debt was R$ 26 billion. Today it is around R$ 241 billion. It was the then mayor of São Paulo, Fernando Haddad, who managed to push for the adjustment to be made to IPCA plus 4% interest per year,” he said.
Luiz Paulo added that the debate about interest rates only gained momentum recently in the state. According to him, Cláudio Castro only started addressing the issue after the creation of the Public Debt CPI in the Alerj (Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro), which was chaired by the deputy himself.
Impact of economic events and policies
The legislator also cited factors that, in his assessment, contributed to the increase in state expenses. Among them, he highlighted the holding of major international events between 2007 and 2016, such as the Pan-American Games, the World Cup, and the Olympics, a period in which governments resorted to loans.
Another point discussed was the reduction of ICMS (a state sales tax) on electricity, telecommunications, and fuels. Luiz Paulo stated that the measure, approved during Jair Bolsonaro's federal government, caused significant losses for the state.
“This happened in the middle of an election year. What did the former governor do? He illegally adopted, via decree, the tax rate created by the federal government. I presented a draft legislative decree to suspend this measure, but it never came to a vote. In other words, the former governor gave his approval for the state to lose these resources,” he stated.
Compensation measures
Luiz Paulo also highlighted initiatives that, according to him, helped to recover some of the losses. Among them, he cited the approval of a law he authored that raised the ICMS tax rate from 18% to 20%. "That's an additional R$ 4 billion because of this initiative," he said.
The congressman also mentioned the creation of the Temporary Budgetary Fund (FOT), which, according to him, generates around R$ 900 million per year for public coffers.
Final criticisms and positioning
In conclusion, Luiz Paulo criticized the former governor's stance and stated that he was chosen as a target improperly. "Either the governor has lost his memory or he is genuinely going through a difficult time and has selected me as a pseudo-target."
He also reinforced his vision for conducting public policy in the state: “My party politics are institutional. I want a state that collects a lot of revenue and spends it correctly and honestly. Giving priority to public safety, health, education, and transportation. Valuing qualified and tenured public servants. I will not give up any of these principles.”
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