Deputies approve SP’s entry into consortium to lobby for reforms – 09/19/2023 – Market

The Legislative Assembly of São Paulo approved this Tuesday (19) the state’s membership in Cosud (Consortium for the Integration of the States of the South and Southeast of Brazil).

In practice, the institution of the consortium should strengthen the articulation of governors around common agendas and the pressure on benches to take the lead on impactful issues, such as Tax Reform.

The measure, which had been proposed by the Tarcísio de Freitas (Republican) government, was approved with 53 votes in favor and 15 against. To be approved, the project needed 48 votes.

The vote took more than a month to take place, as the atmosphere for the process had been heavy following controversial statements by the governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema (Novo), which were seen as a stimulus for the group’s dispute with the states of the Northeast. .

Last August, the governor of Minas Gerais defended a greater role for the South and Southeast regions in national discussions in a speech considered separatist, preaching the need for the two regions to unite to guarantee political protagonism.

In an interview with the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, when talking about the creation of Cosud (South and Southeast Integration Consortium), Zema said that the difference in treatment of regions became clear during the discussion of the Tax Reform and demanded proportional space.

When talking about revenue distortions, the miner even made an analogy with “little cows that produce little”, saying that, if a rural producer starts to give good treatment only to these cows, “soon those that produce a lot will start to demand the same treatment”.

In March, before the Tax Reform began, the governors met in Rio de Janeiro. At the end of the event, they released a letter in support of a reform of the tax collection system, which would increase the economic efficiency of the states.

The governors defended a new federative pact, in which the federal government does not create new expenses and salary floors that affect entities and that compensation for losses with ICMS on fuels is made. The letter also called for a change in the states’ debt correction index.

Cosud has been meeting since 2019, but the project approved by Alesp now ratifies a protocol of intentions between the states of the South and Southeast so that the consortium can be officially established.

According to the text, the objective is to seek integration policies between Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio
de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and São Paulo, to improve the quality of public service and face common problems.

Parliamentarians who opposed the bill that approved São Paulo’s entry into Cosud said they understood that the initiative accentuates the separation between different regions of the country

“What Governor Tarcísio is proposing for the State of São Paulo, with the South-Southeast Consortium, is a separation between the states of our country and not a perspective of creating a mechanism to improve people’s lives”, stated deputy Luiz Cláudio Marcolino (PT).

Meetings between governors must occur periodically, so that proposals for the development of the regions can be discussed. Leadership will be rotated between states every 12 months, but it still needs to be approved by all state assemblies.

In Minas Gerais, for example, the PL (Bill) that ratifies the protocol of intentions for the creation of Cosud received a favorable opinion in the first round from the Public Administration Commission. The PL now goes to two other commissions. In Espírito Santo, membership was ratified by state deputies in August.