House maids in Brazil get their rights

House maids in Brazil will have the same rights as other employees in the state and private sector according to a new law passed in Brazilian senate. Among other rights, they will be also entitled to overtime after working for a maximum of eight hours a day and 44 hours a week.
Brazil has an estimated 7million house maids and cooks – nearly all of them women. Many middle-class Brazilian families have been used to having a maid to cook, clean and wash for them.

In recent years, their rights have been gradually revised to include paid holidays, sick leave and maternity leave. The new rights have been called historic and widely welcomed in Brazil.
However, the reform could increase the cost of having a domestic worker by nearly 20%.

Brazil cuts taxes to control inflation

Brazil's economy grew 1.35 percent in 2012, well above the market forecast of 1 percent, estimated the country's central bank yesterday (20th).

The official figure will be released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) on 1st March. The country's economic activity in December rose 0.26 percent compared with the previous month, In 2012,

The Brazilian government announced a series of measures to stimulate growth, including cutting the central bank's overnight rate to a record-low 7.25%, reducing taxes for industries, increasing credits and lowering prices. For 2013, the government forecasts a 4% growth,


Brazil’s government is considering making permanent certain tax cuts that were implemented to spur the economy. One of the reductions that would be made permanent is a 3% credit for companies that export manufactured goods. It is stated that tax cuts also would help control inflation,