Government will invest US$ 10.8 billion in infrastructure this year
DCI
The Government of the State of São Paulo will make a record investment of R$ 20.6 billion (US$ 10.8 billion) in 2009. The information was given yesterday by the Secretary of State for the Development, Geraldo Alckmin, during a breakfast offered by the Brazilian Institute of Finance Executives (IBEF). In order to have an idea of the volume of resources, the budget executed in 2007 was of R$ 9.4 billion (US$ 4.9 billion), while last year's budget amounted to R$ 14.8 billion (US$ 8.1 billion).
Alckmin said the performance was due to the financial recovery of the State, emphasizing it occurred without increasing tax rates. Alckmin pointed out the investments were distributed as follows: R$ 4.2 million (US$ 2.2 million) to the São Paulo Metropolitan Train Company (CPTM); R$ 5 billion (US$ 2.6 billion) in transports; R$ 2.5 billion (US$ 1.3 billion) in sanitation; R$ 1.6 billion (US$ 842.1 million) in housing; R$ 807 million (US$ 424.7 million) in education; R$ 1 billion (US$ 526.3 million) in safety and another R$ 5.3 billion (US$ 2.8 billion) in other segments. With that, more than 858 thousand direct and indirect jobs were generated.
The secretary defended the airway is a strategically relevant modal for the development and emphasized that, after São Paulo, Guarulhos is the city that grew the most in the State because of Cumbica. The Secretary pointed out the relevance of relieving the Guarulhos airport and the urgent need of promoting improvements in the airport of Viracopos, in Campinas. However, he said that this is a Federal issue and that the State has been working on it offering technical support.
Asked about the possibility of constructing a new airport in the capital, Alckmin said the city of São Paulo would not be able to support a work of such dimension, but he added there are studies for the metropolitan region to receive an initiative of this kind. Another alternative, according to Alckmin, would be to attract private investments in some of the 31 airports of the interior of the State.