Our "arab spring" is coming :)

[Timbuk2]

The global bank I used to work for was investing heavily in Brazil when I left two years ago. Much of their centralised off-shore operation was being moved from India to Brazil too.

I wonder if they're still as enthusiastic.

[Loki]

Brazil was also considered a growing economy, worthy of 'investment', along with Russia, India, China (BRIC). But that was during boom times, before the global financial crisis and Great Recession.

Which is irrelevant to the points being made in this thread, but carry on as usual.

[GGT]

It was a comparison to your bleak factoids, and a reminder that Brazil was a booming economy that attracted international investors (as Tim also pointed out). But when a boom turns sour, or proves too fragile to recover from a global recession and financial crisis, it's not a good idea for government to ignore millions of disgruntled citizens. That is totally relevant to social unrest, occupy movements, Arab Springs.

[RandBlade]

Maybe if Brazil cut its tax rates it could get some more investments and growth.

[Kerberos2002]

Maybe if Brazil cut its tax rates it could get some more investments and growth.

at the same time is necessary to lower federal expenditures, most of taxes are to cover such costs.

[RandBlade]

So maybe cut subsidies to organisations and let them charge proper costs to users - eg bus users can pay more on their tickets rather than general taxation

[Dreadnaught]

Egypt one-upped Brazil I guess.