RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The fuel price crisis in Brazil, one of the main criticisms of Jair Bolsonaro’s government and an issue that has angered the conservative president, has reached unimaginable proportions. To get a tank of gas, a Brazilian must spend the equivalent of a staggering 33% of a minimum wage.
Currently, a liter of fuel in Brazil costs R$7.28, or US$1.53. According to projections by Bloomberg, filling up a 55-liter tank costs a Brazilian 33% of the minimum wage.
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By comparison, in the United States, this is equivalent to 6% of the minimum wage.
According to the exact estimates, the share of the minimum wage spent on filling up with gasoline is 18% in Argentina.
Fuel prices have become the main stumbling block in the government’s economic plan of Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly spoken out against Petrobras’ pricing policies.
Last week, the president, who is up for re-election in October, fired the head of the state oil company and has criticized the adjustment of retail prices to international prices for months.
On Tuesday, the government filed a request to add Petrobras to the list of companies part of the privatization plan led by the Economic Ministry.