By Alonso Soto
LIMA (Reuters) - Finance Minister Joaquim Levy told Reuters on Saturday that he enjoys the total backing of Brazil's beleaguered President Dilma Rousseff and intends to stay on the job as long as needed to put the books in order and pull the economy out of its slump.
Market speculation that Levy, an orthodox economist widely respected among investors, was considering quitting her administration has added fuel to a political and economic crisis that has driven down the Brazilian real currency
"She has personally and explicitly manifested her support to me," Levy said on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund annual meetings in Peru. "I have her support. It's not about feeling you are backed. I see it in her actions."
The University of Chicago-trained economist said Rousseff is committed to pushing through austerity measures under fire by a restive Congress. He said Rousseff is wholly behind his policies and committed to reaching a primary budget surplus of 0.7 percent of gross domestic product next year.
Rousseff, who was narrowly re-elected in October, picked the banking executive to lead an economic team tasked with undoing a series of policy missteps during her first term that helped plunge the economy into its worst recession in 25 years.
The ideological divide between Rousseff, once a Marxist who believed in armed struggle against capitalism, and Levy, a former IMF official, has sown doubts about their ability to agree on a plan to rescue an economy that not long ago was a Wall Street favourite.
Cheered by markets when he took over as finance minister in January, many investors now believe Levy's influence in the administration is diminishing and he has failed to convince Rousseff that Brazil needs to adopt a more aggressive fiscal adjustment plan.
Levy has been criticized publicly by lawmakers from Rousseff's own Workers' Party who have called for his removal.
CONFIDENCE ON TAX HURDLE
Levy said he never considered quitting.
"I have no plans of leaving the government. We still have a long agenda to fulfil that includes structural reforms and preparing the country to deal with a new international reality."
Despite growing tensions with Congress that include calls for Rousseff's impeachment, Levy said he is confident lawmakers will ultimately back a plan to cut spending and raise taxes to return to a fiscal surplus next year.
The revival of an unpopular financial transaction tax, known as CPMF, is key in efforts to rebalance Brazil's public accounts and regain the confidence of investors, said Levy.
Business leaders vehemently oppose the CPMF tax proposal and senior lawmakers say it will be dead on arrival in Congress. They argue that the government needs to look to other options, like deeper cuts in its spending, to save an additional 30 billion reais ($8 billion) needed to balance next year's budget - about half of the gains planned in Levy's fiscal package.
"This is part of an absolutely standard process of fiscal recovery. There is no controversy," said Levy, citing a hike in the value-added tax in Britain to plug a widening deficit a few years ago.
Levy said raising other taxes such as duties on industrial products would create bigger distortions in the economy, which already has one of the highest tax burdens in the world.
The administration will constantly review its programs to reduce spending and improve efficiency, he said. Changes to unemployment insurance payments to idled fishermen, he added, will save the government up to 1.5 billion reais next year.
($1 = 3.7652 Brazilian reais)
(Reporting by Alonso Soto; Editing by Anthony Boadle and Chizu Nomiyama)
