President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) proposed, this Monday (6), that the ICMS (Tax on the Circulation of Goods and Services) on fuels be zeroed with compensation to the states for the loss with collection, through a Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC). The speech was made during a speech to the press at Palácio do Planalto.
Ministers Paulo Guedes (Economy), Ciro Nogueira (Casa Civil), Célio Faria (Government Secretary), Adolfo Sachsida (Mines and Energy), Anderson Torres (Justice and Public Security) and Augusto Heleno (Institutional Security Office) participate in the press conference. ), in addition to the presidents of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG).
When giving more detail on the amendment, the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, said that the measure will have a defined time – it will be in force until December 31 of this year – and a defined value, which he did not specify.
“It is very important to understand that the commitment to fiscal responsibility still stands and more: it has a defined time, until December 31, and a defined value. It will become very clear soon that this value within the commitment to fiscal responsibility, which is fully subscribed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, both maintained this commitment throughout the fight against the pandemic”.
According to Bolsonaro, the measures could bring immediate effects to consumers.
Bolsonaro started his speech by referring to the price of diesel. “Once the complementary bill is approved, we, the federal government, will zero the ICMS on diesel and we would pay the governors what they would no longer collect,” he said.
“If there is an understanding on the part of the senators, if the complementary bill is approved and an amendment to the Constitution is enacted very quickly, this would immediately take effect at the end of the line for consumers, then this reduction in the tax burden” .
On gasoline and ethanol, Bolsonaro said that “in the complementary bill the ICMS drops to 17% and the federal government is willing to zero its federal tax: PIS/Cofins and Cide. In other words, gasoline would also no longer have a federal tax”.
Economy Minister Paulo Guedes complemented the president’s speech. Guedes said that the increase in fuel and energy prices is a “coup” and, according to the minister, “it is absolutely natural for politics to react and want to protect the Brazilian population again now from a different enemy, which is the price of energy. it’s food”.
“The federal government transferring resources, not to give a subsidy, but to transfer resources exactly to allow the tax reduction, which has always been our program. It’s what we’re doing. It is very similar to what happened back there with the transfer of rights”, said the minister.
Text in the Senate
According to information from the Policy analyst at CNN Renata Agostini, the rapporteur of the project that blocks the collection of ICMS, senator Fernando Bezerra says he plans to present the text this Tuesday (7).
Bezerra says he still awaits the arrival of new contributions from the states to close the report. “We still don’t have an understanding with the states. The secretaries were to send a new suggestion until tomorrow morning. We will certainly talk again”, said Bezerra.
Source: CNN Brasil
