In Roraima, Denarium’s administration sets a record in spending on civil servants and exceeds R$2.1 billion

Ana Carolina Barbosa – from Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The annual spending on civil service during the administration of the governor of Roraima, Antonio Denarium, increased by almost 30%, between 2018 and 2021, from R$ 1.631 billion to R$ 2.119 billion, indicate official data from the statements of expenditure of the last four quarters of each year, available from the National Treasury. The amount is considered a record for the last four fiscal years and the increase between the first and the last year analyzed was almost half a billion reais.

The reports are provided every four months by the state and municipal governments, as well as by the legislative branch, such as the State Assemblies and the Audit Courts (TCE). The period analyzed for each of them is 11 months prior to the closing month, totaling three reports per year.

Only between 2020, when personnel expenses were R$ 1.835 billion, and 2021, two years of Covid-19 pandemic, the Government of Roraima registered an increase of R$ 283.78 million in personnel payment.

Despite the increase in real values, Roraima remained below the alert limit determined by the Fiscal Responsibility Law (PRF) for spending on staff, using, in 2021, 38.21% of adjusted Net Current Revenue (RCL), held last year, which totaled R$ 5.536 billion. The law stipulates as an alert limit for states, the application of up to 44.10% of the RCL with the payment of public service; for the prudential limit, the percentage is 46.55%; the maximum limit is posted at 49%.

A comparative analysis of the reports from 2018 to 2021 shows that, in the years he was in charge of the State Government, Denarium was above the alert limit in at least one year: 2019. At the time, the percentage spent on personnel reached 45.73%, even higher than the previous year (45.44%), when the state had its accounts and fiscal balance compromised and the then governor, Suely Campos, was removed from office, which put the state under federal intervention and anticipated the inauguration of Antonio Denarium as governor. The following year, in 2020, the percentage in the last four months was 42.35%.

The legislation provides that if the total personnel expenditure exceeds the maximum limit set by the LRF, the excess percentage must be eliminated in the two following quarters, being at least one third of the excess percentage, right in the quarter following the verification, which does not occur, for example, between 2019 and 2020, in the case of the Government of Roraima. Non-compliance can result in sanctions, such as the impediment of carrying out credit operations and even receiving voluntary transfers.

The value, at the end of 2022, should be even higher, since the governor Antônio Denarium announced in early February, in an election year, a wage replacement of 11% for state employees. The report tried to contact the Sefaz (State Department of Finance) of Roraima, to question the impacts of the measure on public accounts, but was unsuccessful.