The framework is needed to ease fiscal concerns after Lula secured congressional approval for a multi-billion-real package that bypasses the constitutional spending cap so his government can boost social spending and fulfill campaign promises. This year's primary deficit target, the first of the leftist Lula administration, is 228.1 billion reais ($44 billion), but the Finance Ministry recently estimated that the shortfall will be 107.6 billion reais, equal to 1.0% of GDP, helped by a jump in expected tax revenue.
Earlier on Wednesday, Institutional Relations Minister
Alexandre Padilha said the government was finalizing the new
rule, adding that Lula and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad
would meet to do so. Haddad is expected to present it to leaders
of the lower house of Congress later in the day.
Talking to reporters, Padilha said that the leaders of
Brazil's Congress have indicated that, once submitted, the
fiscal rules should be approved quickly.
($1 = 5.1351 reais)
(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu, Marcela Ayres and Bernardo
Caram in Brasilia; Editing by Steven Grattan, Matthew Lewis and
Jamie Freed)