Lira marks discussion of tax reform in plenary for the first week of July

The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), scheduled for the first week of July the plenary discussion of the text of the tax reform, which will have the preliminary text of the working group presented later this Thursday (22). The confirmation came after a meeting with governors, vices, finance secretaries and representatives that lasted all morning.

The meeting was scheduled to discuss with the representatives the most sensitive points of the reform that directly affect the accounts of the states, mainly due to the integration of ICMS to the Tax on Goods and Services (IBS), which has been the target of criticism for fear of loss of revenue.

Lira also said that mayors and representatives of the productive sectors of the economy will also be heard by the deputies later this week and next week before the text is discussed in plenary.

“The text will be made available for everyone to criticize, and it will not be what will be voted on. Suggestions were made at the meeting and I understand that they will be accommodated in view of the text. It is a complex issue, and the time is now and we have an obligation to deliver the best reform,” she said.

The doubt was cited by Ronaldo Caiado (União Brasil), governor of Goiás, who questioned how much the states should lose in revenue and how the resources will be compensated. “We need another policy to have growth capacity”, he said, noting that producing states, such as Goiás and Mato Grosso, may lose out.

Among the alternatives discussed by the group is the creation of a Regional Development Fund that would have the role of compensating for the loss of revenue, a mechanism claimed mainly by the governors of the North and Midwest regions. In addition to ICMS, IBS will also cover the municipal tax ISS and the federal IPI, PIS and Cofins.

However, the president of the reform working group, Deputy Reginaldo Lopes (PT-MG), said that for the first time there is a “historical alignment, an important understanding of all productive sectors” due to the need to reform the Brazilian tax system. .

“There are points of divergence that will only be overcome at the time of the text in the Plenary. This is the great reform that Brazil needs to grow and unlock several investments”, completed Rafael Fonteles (PT), governor of Piauí.