Without advancing the date when the change will come into force, Vera Daves said that for now the government is considering the proposal: "We have been reflecting so far, we want to avoid that the impact is very strong, we want to ensure that the impact is as small as possible, and because we know the potential impact, the decision has not yet been taken".
The minister, who was speaking this Saturday at a meeting with journalists, said that the aim of the Executive is to mitigate the negative impacts that this measure may bring to Angolans. "We don't want to reach a scenario where a family arrives in half a month without money to pay for transportation, so they can go to work," she said.
Admitting that the ministry has been unable to perform a number of functions due to these subsidies, Vera Daves explained that as the ministry usually assumes the cost of the subsidy, Sonangol asks to be compensated. This compensation has made it impossible for the ministry to carry out some services: "We are no longer carrying out important expenses because of this subsidy," she said.
The holder of the Finance Department also spoke of the fact that the end of the subsidies could inflate fuel prices, since prices in Angola are different from those in neighbouring countries.
For this reason, the measure is still being analyzed. For the time being it is not yet known when the removal of the subsidies will come into force, nor how it will be done.
According to Angop, the authority is considering applying the measure in stages, however, it is not yet known how many stages it will have. According to the minister, a plan is being drawn up to reduce the negative impact of the measure.
