09/04/2008 15h13
State focus infrastructure to attract investor
Folha de S. Paulo - 09/04/2008
Responsible for the economic strategy of the São Paulo government, Vice-governor Alberto Goldman, who is also responsible for the Development Bureau, wants do direct part of the collected money to leverage new investments and defend São Paulo against other States in the tax war. According to the Vice-governor, the areas that will receive more attention will be road and train transports, ports, energy, technology research and training of technical staffs. "The strategic issue is to bring investments. How it (this extra revenue) can be used is the governor's priority. We will worry about improving the conditions in order to attract investments." To do this, Goldman will have two agencies: one of investment promotion, called Investe São Paulo, which will work as an "entrance door" of new investors; and another one of development, which will be a kind of São Paulo Development Bank. With approved capital of R$ 1 billion (US$ 613.5 million), the development agency needs authorization of the Central Bank to start operations, which should happen still in September. Governor José Serra affirmed that 10% of the money collected with the sale of Nossa Caixa should go to the agency. "The focus are companies of great added value such as the chemical sector and the alcohol sub products -, not
commodities", he said. The investment promotion agency, on its turn, was created two weeks ago and should have around 25 people. When the agency "gets" a potential investor, it will set out all demands - tax, environmental, transport infrastructure, energy, water, and so on - with the objective of "deobstruct" and accelerate investments. "This agency will be the bridge among the many secretariats. It will articulate the deobstruction of factors that may be a hindrance or that can expedite investment." Goldman affirmed that the State discusses today the creation of a south stretch of the train-ring (
ferroanel), which will facilitate the connection to the port of Santos. The government also wants to make the private port of Peruíbe feasible, a project of businessman Eike Batista, and to increase the capacity of the ports of Santos and São Sebastião.
