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Possible changes to the FGTS may affect the Minha Casa Minha Vida program
Recently, Luiz Marinho, the minister, announced that he plans to propose a review of the FGTS birthday withdrawal to the National Congress. The central idea is to make it possible to withdraw funds even after leaving employment. This move caused concern at the Ministry of Cities, as there is growing concern that it could harm Minha Casa Minha Vida in the acquisition of homes. Thus, the ministry asked Caixa Econômica Federal to assess the impact of this measure on both the fund and the housing program.
According to the news reports, Abrainc, the Brazilian Association of Real Estate Developers, made a statement to the Ministry of Cities. They expressed their disagreement with the proposal, arguing that it could have profound implications for the housing program.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), the president, set a target of distributing 2 million homes this year. The Union will subsidize the remainder, approximately 1.5 million, with FGTS funds.
How does the birthday withdrawal relate to buying a home through the housing program?
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To calculate the possible damage caused by changes to the birthday withdrawal in relation to buying a home, Caixa plans to send the estimated impact directly to the Civil House. This way, the institution will be able to deliberate on the feasibility of the proposal.
Resistance in other areas has been faced through statements by Lula's ministers, and this case may be another example. This is similar to what happened in March, when Márcio França, Minister of Ports and Airports, announced a program offering airline tickets for R$ 200 without prior consultation with the Civil House.
Minimum wage
The minimum wage has also been a cause for concern. The Ministry of Cities believes it is possible to reach the target of 2 million Minha Casa Minha Vida units, even with the FGTS surprise. However, the government's greatest concern is the ruling on the minimum wage for the fund, which is currently being reviewed by the STF.
Roberto Barroso, the rapporteur in the case, voted for the minimum return on deposits in the fund to be equal to the return on savings accounts. However, Justice Nunes Marques interrupted the vote and requested more time to review the case.
If approved, the changes will allow the Union not to make retroactive adjustments in years when inflation exceeded the FGTS adjustment index. This has raised concerns at the Ministry of Cities, which fears that this decision could limit the fund's operations, resulting in the need to apply higher interest rates to loans made with its resources. This situation could make it more difficult to finance affordable housing under Minha Casa Minha Vida and, consequently, hinder the achievement of the target of 2 million units.
Government designates three properties for the housing program
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Last Thursday (03), the Union Heritage Secretariat (SPU) published an ordinance allocating three federal properties for use in the Minha Casa Minha Vida (MCMV) Entities program. The cities benefiting will be São Paulo, Vitória and Manaus, with the properties being transformed into affordable housing under the program.
In total, the buildings have the potential to become 291 housing units. The Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI), to which the SPU is attached, released this information. The government emphasizes that this is the first stage of the Union Property Democratization Program, which is still under development.
According to the ministry, the objective of the new program is to allocate properties with undefined status for social interest purposes, such as vacant urban areas, vacant or occupied buildings, housing complexes with families lacking title, and informal urban settlements with or without infrastructure (favelas). The MGI states that the program will have three priorities: housing provision, land regularization and urbanization, in addition to infrastructure works.
Esther Dweck, the minister, emphasizes that, at the request of President Lula, this project is under development. Many areas can be designated for affordable housing, while others can be allocated for healthcare or education services.
