The May session of the National Assembly, which runs from today until Friday, will be used to review the bill for a law that will alter import and value-added tax rates on a number of products, a measure aimed at reducing the cost of grains in Cape Verde at a time when cereal prices have been skyrocketing around the world.

The session of parliament that begins today is the first to be held in the wake of the May 18 municipal elections, which gave a clear victory to opposition party MpD in the realm of local government. This will certainly be touched upon in debates, at a time when the effects of the elections are still being felt in society and particularly among political parties.

This month's plenary session, however, is expected to be marked mainly by discussions surrounding the proposal for a law that would alter importation and value-added tax rates on a number of food products. According to the government, this is aimed at reducing or mitigating the impact of the increase in the price of grains such as rice, wheat and corn, as well as other products used in the production of rations for animals, on the international market.

According to cabinet minister Sara Lopes, this is but one of the various measures outlined by the government to attenuate the increase in the cost of living in Cape Verde as a result of petroleum and grain price hikes. One measure that has already been adopted is an increase in minimum social pension payments from 3,150 to 3,500 escudos per month.

In the case of taxes and fees, the bill in question requires a two-thirds majority in order to pass, meaning that the main opposition party, the MpD, will have to support the proposal in order for it to be made law.

The MpD, in the voice of its parliamentary leader Fernando Elísio Freire, has already indicated that the party is not opposed to the bill. On the contrary, the party considers the measures proposed by the executive somewhat timid, although they represent "a step in the right direction," Freire told Cape Verdean National Radio this weekend.

In addition to the grain tax bill, the nation's legislators will also vote on a proposal for a resolution through which Cape Verde would officially join the World Trade Organization, as well as on resolutions related to the 2002 and 2003 General State Accounts.