Evangelical bench criticizes suspension of tax exemption for pastors

Parliamentarians from the evangelical bench in the National Congress criticized the Federal Revenue Service’s decision to suspend the tax exemption for pastors, this Wednesday (17). The benefit had been granted under the government of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

According to some deputies, the repeal of the act is likely to further worsen President Lula’s relationship with the evangelical group in the National Congress. “The communist is no longer hiding! Revenge disguised as religious persecution”, said deputy Marco Feliciano (PL-SP) to People’s Gazette.

The leader of the evangelical bench in the Chamber of Deputies, Silas Câmara, considered the Federal Revenue’s decision “regrettable” and “incomprehensible”. “Unfortunate. For a government that claims to recognize the importance of religions and the need to bring the segment closer together, making such a move is incomprehensible,” he said in a message sent to the press.

For Senator Magno Malta (PL-ES), “the suspension of tax immunity affects all religious leaders, with pastors being the most prominent in this context”. He told the reporter that “the PT Government does not maintain a friendly relationship with the Christian community, a fact that can influence political decisions”.

“I wonder why? Bolsonaro’s Act in 2022 was designed to alleviate the burden on a segment often involved in social actions beyond the reach of the State, such as the recovery of drug addicts and the distribution of basic food baskets to those most in need,” he said.

Malta also highlighted that “the exemption of these religious ministers would not represent a significant loss to public coffers”. And he added that “the revocation of this tax immunity can be understood as a measure to increase revenue for the benefit of a government that only knows how to spend”.

Senator Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF) pointed to the decision as “persecution” of evangelicals. “We warned that one way or another the persecution would come. For now it is an exemption, but we have countries here on our continent led by the left where religious leaders are being arrested and even expelled”, wrote Damares on the X network.

“The left has just given religious people a “full plate”; this is proof that they hate evangelicals and religious people”, said the leader of the Evangelical Parliamentary Front, federal deputy Sóstenes Cavalcante (PL-RJ).

Religious temples, however, already have exemptions from federal taxes. Furthermore, the Tax Reform, enacted in December last year, expanded the benefit for religious entities, allowing any organizations linked to churches to also not pay taxes.