Arthur Lira asks that PL not guide the bench to vote against the tax reform

The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), said this Thursday morning (6) that he asked the PL not to close an issue with the bench in the house to vote against the tax reform project, which is on the ballot scheduled to start in the late afternoon.

Lira says that she has been talking to party leaders since Sunday night (2), and that, especially with the PL, she is having a closer conversation. The party has been meeting since early to decide how the 99 deputies will vote, mainly under the guidance of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who has been against the proposal.

“It is not recommended that any party opposes the reform. We have to lower the temperature [política]. This PEC was born in the National Congress, we have been discussing this PEC since 2019. We’ve made a lot of efforts to reach these days, and I think it’s unfair to politicize radicalization at this moment”, he said in an interview with BandNews TV.

The parliamentarian cited as an example the government of São Paulo, one of the states that has always positioned itself against tax reform over the years and that changed its opinion after the suggestion of governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) to create a governance council, was accepted by the government. According to Lira, negotiations around the formation of the body are advancing, which will bring support from the state to the text.

Arthur Lira also said that he expects a significant vote on the proposal in addition to the 308 necessary votes. “We cannot nail the result of the reform vote, but expectations are good,” he said.

The parliamentarian stated that dialogue remains open with all sectors involved, governors, mayors and confederations, and that the project “is not an agenda of the Executive, Legislative or Judiciary, it is an agenda of the country”.

Still during the interview, Lira again denied that the political group linked to him and the PP had asked the Lula government for ministries, as it was aired and that it could be Health or Development and Social Assistance in exchange for more support in the plenary.

According to him, “all ministries belong to President Lula”. Lira pointed out that the “group” is the 464 deputies of the house ranging from PT to PL. “Internally, I treat all of them with the same tranquility, patience and dialogue,” he said.