Brazilian Ministry of Culture will have “historical budget”, says future Minister Menezes

The future Brazilian Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, said on her Twitter profile, on Monday (26 Dec. 2022), that the portfolio will have a “historic budget” in 2023.

She stated that this is the result of “President Lula’s sensitivity, which identified an economic force in the cultural sector.”

The Ministry of Culture should accumulate a budget of more than R$10 billion (US$1.89 billion) in 2023, starting from:

• the annual budget that guarantees R$5.7 billion (US$1.08 billion) and already includes the R$3 billion (US$570 million) of the Aldir Blanc Act;
• the Paulo Gustavo Law, which allocates R$3.8 billion (US$720 million)to the sector;
• and Condecine (Contribution for the Development of the National Film Industry), which will have revenues of R$1.2 billion (US$230 million).

In July, the National Congress overrode the vetoes in front of an audience of artists who mobilized to pressure the approval of the laws.

Already in August, President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) signed an MP (provisional measure) that postponed the payments of the Paulo Gustavo and Aldir Blanc laws, to 2023 and 2024, respectively. With this decision, the 2 texts were left out of the LDO (budget guidelines law) of 2023.

The Aldir Blanc law obliges the Union to transfer R$3 billion (US$570 million) to states and municipalities for 5 years. The text was inserted in the ceiling-braker PEC and approved. The law in honor of actor Paulo Gustavo, who died as a result of covid-19, takes effect in 2023.

In the 1st year of the Bolsonaro government, R$2.1 billion (US$400 million) was set aside for culture, a figure that dropped to R$1.67 billion (US$320 million) in 2022.

With information from Poder360

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