Tax reform is not ideological, says work group coordinator

In interview with CNN This Saturday (10), the federal representative Reginaldo Lopes (PT-MG) said that there is a “political alignment” for the tax reform and affirmed that the proposal that aims to restructure the Brazilian tax system is not “ideological” or “government” .

Reginaldo is coordinator of the Work Group on the National Tax System, which aims to set the course for reform. For the parliament, there is a consensus between the presidents of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), as well as president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) regarding the importance of the measure.

“I also have a disposition of all the federated entities [União, estados e municípios]that we perceive that this system [tributário] it is exhausted”, added Reginaldo Lopes.

The text of the tax reform rapporteur, federal deputy Aguinaldo Ribeiro (PP-PB), was presented this week. Among the main points of the report, there is a provision for the substitution of five taxes (PIS, Cofins, IPI, ICMS and ISS) by Dual Value Added Tax (VAT), simplifying the system.

The unification also has two objectives to combat tax disputes between states, which establish tax waivers aiming to attract investment. For Lopes, this policy is “dysfunctional.”

A Regional Development Fund (FDR) is being proposed for, without fiscal disputes between states, still guaranteeing stimuli to less economically developed localities. “It is a structured and more modern policy”, pontuou or deputy.

“EITHER [Fernando] Haddad [ministro da Fazenda] I have been in dialogue with the governors and the proposal is that the Union can contribute resources to the Regional Development Fund”, he added.

According to Reginaldo, there are still divergences between the text presented by the working group and the interests of prefects, capitals and governors in some points, such as those in relation to the ICMS and the financing of FDR. “But we are in full dialogue. We are going to talk 24 hours, até or text to the plenário da Câmara ”, he said.

The claim of the working group is that the text goes to the Plenary of the Chamber of Deputies in the first week of July, so that, in the second semester, after or parliamentary recess, the text can be analyzed by the Federal Senate.

(Interview produced by Layane Serrano, da CNNin São Paulo)