By Bernardo Caram
BRASILIA, March 20 (Reuters) – Brazil’s new Finance Minister, Dario Durigan, plans to adjust the ministry’s communication strategy and postpone tax measures, including rules on crypto taxation, as the country heads into a presidential election this year, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Durigan, who took office on Friday after Fernando Haddad stepped down to run for Sao Paulo governor, intends to prioritize microeconomic legislation while delaying divisive fiscal plans to avoid losing political capital in Congress, the sources said.
KEY DETAILS
• A planned public consultation on crypto taxation, which followed a central bank regulation equating crypto movements to foreign exchange operations, has been put on hold.
• A proposal to end tax exemptions on investment securities such as credit letters, which failed to advance in Congress last year, may be deferred to a new presidential mandate starting in 2027.
• “It remains on the radar. But it needs to be handled carefully, because tempers are running high in Brasilia,” one of the sources said.
• Durigan’s legislative priorities will include big tech economic regulation, financial institution crisis management rules, and the Redata data center investment program.
• President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked Durigan, 41, to be the “new face of Brazil’s economy,” emphasizing economic development, a favorable business environment and productivity gains, according to the sources.
• Economic progress this year is crucial for the 80-year-old leftist leader, who will seek in October a fourth non-consecutive term as president.
(Reporting by Bernardo Caram; Writing by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Rod Nickel)
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