Sesc and Senac: Senate approves MP to keep resources – 05/24/2023 – Market

The Federal Senate approved this Wednesday (24) the MP (provisional measure) that creates incentives for the events sector and kept in the text the transfer of Sesc and Senac to Embratur (Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion).

To unlock the vote, however, the senators closed an agreement with the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) government to veto the stretch and seek, in the future, another source of funds for Embratur.

Since passing through the Chamber of Deputies, the MP has provoked a tussle between the S System and the agency that takes care of promoting tourism, entrusted to the command of former deputy Marcelo Freixo, one of the main allies of the government in Rio de Janeiro.

The proposal endorsed by the federal deputies earmarked 5% of the resources collected by Sesc and Senac with contributions to Embratur for the promotion of tourism. The inclusion was made by the leader of the Lula government in the Chamber, José Guimarães (PT-CE), rapporteur of the text.

Unsatisfied with the loss of funds, the CNC (Confederação Nacional do Comércio) began an intense mobilization throughout the country, and claims to have obtained more than one million signatures against the transfer.

The agreement to veto the section that was included by the Chamber was announced by the leader of the Lula government in the Senate, Jaques Wagner (PT), one of the closest to the president. The senator was applauded by the people present.

“President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s commitment, with whom I met today at 4 pm, is to veto the matter relating to the Sesc-Senac. name of the President of the Republic.”

Wagner also stated that the Lula government will try to expand the benefits of Perse to restaurants that were not registered until the pandemic in the Cadastur (Registration of Tourist Service Providers) – which is linked to the Ministry of Tourism.

“Many people were excluded because it is not so common for people to sign up [no Cadastur]. So we are going to work so that this deadline can be reopened and that, effectively, these people can fit in”, said Wagner.

Congress even tried a series of other agreements with the CNC to allocate resources to Embratur, without success. One of them earmarked around BRL 300 million for the tourism agency for a period of four years, instead of the percentage of 5% for an indefinite period.

The MP would expire next Tuesday (30), if not approved by Congress. As the text of the Chamber of Deputies was maintained by the Federal Senate, the MP goes on to be sanctioned by the President of the Republic.

The provisional measure underwent significant changes in the Chamber. Initially, it provided only benefits for companies in the event industry and airlines. However, the deputies included several proposals forwarded by the Lula government, including one that extends until the end of the year the exemption of federal taxes on diesel, biodiesel and cooking gas.

The text also excluded ICMS from the basis for calculating PIS/Pasep and Cofins credits, and reissued the special tax regularization program for Santas Casas (so that institutions can renegotiate their debts).