Ricardo Couto announces goal to eliminate deficit and criticizes influence of deputies The acting governor of Rio de Janeiro, judge Ricardo Couto, announced this Tuesday (16) a new fiscal target for the state, with the aim of reversing the budget deficit and closing the accounts in the black. The strategy, according to him, is driven by the increase in oil prices, which should increase state revenue in the coming months. The statement was made during a lunch with businesspeople at Copacabana Palace. Couto stated that he intends to transform the R$19 billion deficit originally foreseen in the Annual Budget Law into a surplus. During the meeting, the interim governor also criticized the influence of state deputies on the structure of the Executive. According to him, when he temporarily assumed command of the state, he heard from parliamentarians that certain departments were controlled by them. 🟩g1 Rio is on GloboPop, Globo's new vertical short video app, available for free on your cell phone. On the app, you can follow the g1 Rio stage so you don't miss any episode. Download GloboPop. "When temporarily taking over the government, talking to some deputies, I received the following information: the secretariat is mine, the secretariat is mine. Then we must ask: is this type of management right or not? Who is the manager? Is it the head of the Executive or is it the Legislative?", he declared. The statements come amid the intensification of the dispute between the Guanabara Palace and the Legislative Assembly of Rio (Alerj). The president of the House, Douglas Ruas, takes action in the Federal Supreme Court to temporarily take over the state government. Behind the scenes, the assessment is that the measure would also have an impact on this year's electoral dispute for the Guanabara Palace. This Tuesday, the clash gained new chapters. The Alerj Public Spending Containment Commission invited the state Planning Secretary to provide clarifications at a hearing. In the corridors of the Assembly, the initiative is seen as a response to the changes promoted by Couto in the structure of the Executive, including the dismissal of employees appointed by deputies. Ricardo Couto Reproduction/GloboNews On the same day, parliamentarians discussed a project sent by the government to restore tax benefits already approved by the Ministry of Finance. The proposal received 17 amendments and will need to return to the agenda at an undefined date. The processing of the project is considered, behind the scenes, a test to measure how the Assembly will position itself in the face of a government that some of the deputies have come to see as a political opponent. Members of the Executive assess that a possible rejection of the proposal could generate strain on the business sector. Another measure announced by the government was the sending to Alerj of a project to create the figure of the persistent debtor, a category aimed at companies that use tax evasion as a business model. According to the State Secretary of Finance, Guilherme Mercês, the proposal seeks to expand the instruments to combat tax fraud. The government cites as an example the Refit group, identified by the Federal Police as one of the largest tax debtors in the country. According to federal investigations, the conglomerate would have benefited from previous state management.