Lira says that the tax reform vote will require more “pragmatism” in the negotiations

The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), predicts that the vote on the tax reform project will take place in the first semester in the house, but that the processing of the text will require more “pragmatism” in the negotiations.

The statement was given shortly after the approval of the project for the new fiscal rule, on Tuesday night (23), in which he said that there are two scenarios “correlated, but not necessarily equal”. While the government had a comfortable victory in the Chamber, with 372 favorable votes, the vote on the reform will require better articulation with both parliamentarians and states.

“The agenda of the Chamber is in the first semester. If it will be approved or not, then it will depend on the plenary, on the leadership of all the leaders, whom I always thank for their trust. […] The same will happen with the tax reform, a broad discussion, big in a country that needs to go beyond the quota of what has been growing in recent years”, he said.

Lira also says that it is still necessary to make adjustments in certain situations and “understand that pragmatism will have to work even more in tax reform. We will work towards a softer tax reform, if necessary, or if possible, a smaller transition, or a deeper tax reform with a larger transition”.

Reform should be a priority in the Chamber before the recess

The issue of tax reform was discussed at a meeting on Tuesday (23) morning between Lira and the President of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG); the project rapporteur, Aguinaldo Ribeiro (PP-PB), and representatives of organizations in the productive sector. “We will work very hard to bring support for tax reform,” he added.

The expectation is that Ribeiro will deliver the opinion on the reform on June 6th to start negotiations with the parties’ benches. “We are going to make a presentation of the working group report and then we are going to talk to the benches, I think this is the process, so from the 6th a new stage should start, which is to talk to the benches”, he said this Tuesday ( 23) after a meeting with Minister Fernando Haddad, of Finance, and the coordinator of the working group in the Chamber, Reginaldo Lopes (PT-MG).

Ribeiro also said that the analysis of the tax reform should be a priority in the Chamber of Deputies after the vote on the new tax rule, with voting before the start of the parliamentary recess on July 18.

The tax reform project aims to unify taxes that currently affect various stages of the production and consumption chain, such as ICMS, IPI, PIS, Cofins and ISS, creating the IVA (Value Added Tax).