Lira says it will have “new versions” of tax reform and opposition warns of trampling

The rush by the government and the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), to vote on the tax reform project, with new amendments to the text that was presented on Wednesday night (5), is seen by the opposition as a rush and lack of time to discuss the text. Among the parties that are against are Novo and PL, which will gather the bench this Thursday morning (6) to decide how to proceed in the vote scheduled to start at 6 pm in the first round.

The meeting at the party’s headquarters, in Brasília, will be attended by former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who should “set the tone” of the bench’s voting orientation, as explained by the leader of the party in the Chamber, Altineu Côrtes (RJ ). “President Bolsonaro’s position will set our tone, with all his experience to give guidance,” he said.

According to the deputy, the party is not totally against the tax reform project, which had already been discussed since the former president’s government. The point is that, he says, the text has undergone many changes and there are still very complex points without explanation, such as the exclusion of sectors such as the financial system, betting, health plans, shopping malls, among others.

“Many points of this reform could be harmful to the Brazilian people. I challenge any congressman to say that he knows this text 100%”, said Côrtes, noting that many of the changes were made by governors Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), from São Paulo, and Cláudio Castro (PL), from Rio de Janeiro, who also need to be better explained.

Côrtes says that some PL deputies are in favor of the project, but that the majority is against it and that it will be Bolsonaro’s position that will define how the bench will vote. The party has 99 deputies in the Chamber.

There is also the possibility that Bolsonaro will talk to Lira this morning about the negotiations and forwarding of the project. The mayor was an important ally of the former president throughout the last government.

“He [Lira] that brought the project to be voted on now, we needed more time. His role is fundamental, his dialogue with Bolsonaro is very important”, added the deputy.

Bolsonaro has been against the project being discussed in the Chamber. “PT tax reform: a punch in the stomach of the poorest. […] In this current proposal, the PT absurdly increases taxes on the basic food basket (rice, sugar, oil, potatoes, beans, flour, etc.), creates a selective tax for soft drinks, sugary products, meat and alcoholic beverages, among others” , said last Tuesday (4).

New changes worry deputies

The concern of opposition deputies is due to the signaling given by Lira that the text presented on Wednesday (5) will have new changes this Thursday (6). The criticism is due to the short analysis time, since the mayor intends to put the text to a vote in the late afternoon.

“Long text full of ideology. I run over”, said Luiz Philippe de Orleans e Bragança (PL-SP), adding that “it is not the governors who vote for the reform, it is the deputies. I hope that the deputies have read the text that night, before placing their fingerprints to harm the population, because the governors certainly did not read it”.

Deputy Adriana Ventura (SP), leader of Novo in the Chamber, said that the text cannot take away the “autonomy of the states, and that taxes do not increase”. The party had a request denied to postpone the vote on the project for a better analysis by the deputies.

Lira also denied a question of order by Deputy Zé Trovão (PL-SC), which went in the same direction. “This PEC spent 101 sessions in the special commission, when the maximum period was 40, it was discussed in a mixed commission in the Chamber and in the Senate and also in a working group for 120 days. We are all interested in contributing with a text, and the only way to move forward now is to negotiate in Parliament”, said the mayor.

According to the mayor, the proposal has already “meet the deadline for extreme discussion” in Congress, and the new version was negotiated with governors, mayors and agribusiness.