Bolsonaro campaign drafts debt-linked fiscal rule to replace Brazil framework

Imagine Brazil's government has a big credit card it pays with money from taxes.

The amount the country owes is called debt, and that debt has grown very large — bigger than most of the money Brazil makes in a whole year.

A man named Flavio Bolsonaro wants to become Brazil's next president.

He says the government needs to be more careful with its money.

His team has written a new set of rules that connect how much the government can spend to how big the debt is.

When the debt is very high, the government could only be allowed to spend a tiny bit more — or even nothing more — each year.

Right now, President Lula's rules let government spending grow a little each year, as long as it does not grow faster than the money coming in.

Both sets of rules try to stop spending from growing faster than income.

Flavio Bolsonaro's new rules could become a law if he wins the election in October and is able to send them to Congress.

Many economy experts say Brazil must fix its debt problem, but people disagree about the best way to do it.