On national television, Marinho will reinforce his promise of exemption until 2026

The Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho (PT), will make a statement on national television this Tuesday (April 30, 2024), the eve of International Labor Day, celebrated on May 1st. The speech will be broadcast to 8:30 p.m. and will address the advances made by the administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in increasing the minimum wage, as well as campaign promises about expanding Income Tax exemption.

The broadcast will anticipate some topics that should also be addressed by the president during an event with union centrals, in São Paulo, on Wednesday (May 1).

According to Marinho’s advisors, the minister will talk about an increase in the employment rate. According to IBGE data released this Tuesday (30.Apr), there are 8.6 million unemployed in the 1st quarter of 2024. The number represents an increase of 0.5 percentage points over the result of the 4th quarter of 2023, but it is the lowest rate for the period since 2014.

The promise made by Lula to exempt people with salaries of up to R$5,000 from income tax will be repeated in Marinho’s speech. The president has announced the measure since the 2022 election campaign and states that he will comply with the proposal until the end of his term, in 2026.

The project to regulate the work of app drivers and delivery people will also be mentioned, but should not be discussed in depth. In March, the government sent a bill proposal to the National Congress that is struggling through the Legislature. Among the measures, the text mentions an 8-hour day and a salary of R$32.09 per hour worked for the category.

In the case of the minimum wage, the minister will recall the progressive increase sanctioned by Lula. The amount went from R$1,212 to R$1,320 in 2023. In 2024, it was updated to R$1,412.

The approval of the equal pay policy between men and women will be used to talk about the federal government’s commitment to gender equality measures. The initiative came into effect on December 1, 2023 and obliges companies to present regular reports with salary transparency and remuneration criteria for employees.