Britain STILL giving foreign aid to Brazil

  • Millions handed over in development aid in recent years
  • Money still going to ‘operational’ projects in the Latin American powerhouse

By
Steve Doughty

Last updated at 11:03 PM on 29th December 2011

Taxpayers are funding aid to Brazil even though it has become richer than Britain, Whitehall officials admitted yesterday.

Millions has been handed over in development aid in recent years despite the rapid rise of Brazil to the top rank of world economies.

And money is still going to the Latin American powerhouse in the week it was revealed to have overtaken Britain in the world’s economic league table.

Good times: Brazil, famous for its carnival in Rio de Janeiro (pictured), overtook Britain in the world's economic league table

Good times: Brazil, famous for its carnival in Rio de Janeiro (pictured), overtook Britain in the world’s economic league table

The continuing aid to Brazil comes against a background of deepening criticism of the Coalition’s foreign aid plans and its determination to keep raising spending on development in supposedly poor countries.

David Cameron and his ministers are pledged to raise aid spending, currently worth £9billion a year and 0.57 per cent of national income, to 0.7 per cent. Aid spending went up by £1.24billion in the last financial year alone.

Yet money continues to be poured into wealthy and fast-growing countries  such as India, and even aid to China, second in the world economic league, was ordered to come to an end only this year.

Much of the money which does go to genuinely poor countries is said by some analysts to be soaked up in corruption or pointless projects.

World economic league

Brazil was this week listed as sixth in the world economic league table by the Centre for Economics and Business Research. The City think tank found that the country’s economy will produce more than $2.5trillion this year, pushing ahead of UK economic product, which will be just under the $2.5trillion mark.

According to figures on the website of the Department For International Development, £13.6million worth of taxpayer-funded development schemes for Brazil remain ‘operational’.

They include a scheme to work up environmental projects billed at almost £9million, another to ‘improve flexibility, agility and responsiveness in the implementation of DFID regional objectives’ worth more than £1.2million, and unidentified schemes costing more than £2.4million.

DFID officials said yesterday that the spending was ‘historic’ and included projects dating from the 1990s, and that they were listed as remaining in operation only because of ‘an IT error’.

But they acknowledged that taxpayers’ money is still going in aid to Brazil, in the form of a £730,000 ‘large emerging economies programme’ to ‘develop a shared agenda and promote global poverty reduction objectives.’ This project, DFID said, is to be wound down ‘at the earliest opportunity’.

Tory MP Douglas Carswell said the figures showed the ministry was ‘not about helping economies to grow’. He added: ‘Aid spending is more about the commitment of DFID officials to expanding their own budgets than helping economic growth.

Powerhouse: Brazil has been listed as sixth in the world economic league table by the Centre for Economics and Business Research

Powerhouse: Brazil has been listed as sixth in the world economic league table by the Centre for Economics and Business Research

‘If we really wanted to help economic growth in poor countries we would do it through free trade and cutting tariffs.’

Robert Oxley, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘The international aid budget is full of too many contradictions like this. Why should British taxpayers fund aid programmes in an economy bigger than our own?’

‘DFID should cut its subsidies to countries who don’t need it and focus on helping the world’s poorest. It’s no surprise that the Brazil has leapfrogged the UK’s economy when ours is still tied down by red tape and plagued by interfering politicians.’

In March, ministers announced the end of development aid to 16 countries considered no longer to need it. They included China, Russia, Vietnam, Serbia and Iraq – but Brazil was not mentioned.

A DFID spokesman said: ‘These are old projects in Brazil, most of which date back to the 1990s.’

BEST OF BRITAIN

Population    –       62,262,000

GDP               –       $2.253 trillion (based on 2011 estimate) 

Currency       –      Pound sterling

Area               –      94,060sqm

Known for     –      Castles, The Beatles, The Monarchy

Famous people –  William Shakespeare, Sir Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin, The Queen

Big events      –   London 2012 Olympics

BRILLIANT BRAZIL

Population    –     190,732,694

GDP              –       $2,172 trillion (based on 2011 estimate)

Currency      –      Real

Area              –      3,287,597sqm

Known for   –       Football,   carnivals and The Amazon

Famous people –  Pele (footballer), Paulo Coelho (lyricist and novelist) Andreas Pavel (inventor of the Walkman)    

Big events    –      Football World Cup in 2014

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

ALL PREVARDO
THIS COUNTRY IS ALL FUR AND NO KNICKERS…
WE HAVE POVERTY…WHERE IS OUR AID?????/

So Brazil is over populated like Asia and other parts of the world. Why should we have to pay to feed their starving millions?

Now prepare fo the next huge influx from south america, anyone who
can prove their descendants were Spanish can apply for Spanish passports
and will then have free movement within the EEC, the sooner we have
a referendum on membership to stop this madness, it seems UKIP
will sort this matter out.

WE NEED TO CUT AID DOWN TO AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM AND THEREBY CUT DOWN OUR SPENDING. IT IS A PART OF OUR SPENDING. WE NEED TO GET RID OF OUR OVERDRAFT BEFORE WE CONTINUE GIVING MONEY. FOR EVERY £1.00 THAT WE GIVE IN AID IT COSTS THE TAXPAYER £1.40 TO PAY THE MONEY BACK. SO WE ARE ACTUALLY GIVING AWAY MONEY WE HAVE NOT GOT IN TOTAL IT COSTS US £2.40 TO GIVE A £1.00 TO AID. Isn’t it funny how our Financial EXPERTS keep quiet on this area. Makes me think, What about you ?.

What the hell is wrong with our politicians? How on earth do they get away with robbing us blind, and giving it to everyone else?

So in Brazil millions of people live in abject poverty, whilst the Middle Class here whine about having to pay an extra £5 a week for food. When the D M lashes out it’s hatred knows no bounds. What is more worrying, people who should know better lap it up.

mad dogs and englishmen never a truer word said wake up britain and smell the coffee

it is logical that we do not need help from an indebted country like England, this is the fault of an irresponsible government as the British government. The correct today would be China and Brazil to the United States help Europe and the Europeans with food or money to take them this worrying situation.

‘Considering how many people post here for UKIP I’m sure they too are stooges for that odious party. As for Nigel Farage – he is a baffoon and a figure of fun – methinks a little moustache would suit him very well. Can you just remind us again what percentage of votes they had in the last election?’
– Margaret, Cambridge, 29/12/2011 20:10 Although I know it is useless to argue with a socialist, if you only followed threads on a regular basis, rather than swoop in occasionally from the Guardian, Mirror or Socialist Worker, wherever, to make rather stupid remarks, you would appreciate that the readership here is basically Conservative, with a strong fellowship with UKIP, and in no way are ‘Stooges’. We can think, you see, probably more capably than the average Socialist Worker reader, and are merely attempting to steer Cameron et al in the right direction. UKIP has sound ideas that we want Cameron to take on board. Now please go back to your socialist fantasies.

It’s logical that we don’t need help from an indebted country like England, this is the fault of an irresponsible government as the British government. The correct today would be the United States, Brazil and China to help Europe and the Europeans with food or money to take them out of this worrying situation. edie from Brasil.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Views: 0

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes