Secretary defends regulation of cashback for poor by law

Provided for in the two tax reform proposals being discussed in Congress, the institution of a tax cashback system for the poorest must be regulated by a complementary law. This statement was made by the special secretary of the Ministry of Finance for Tax Reform, Bernard Appy, who participated this Wednesday (8) in a hearing by the Chamber of Deputies working group on the subject. He defended that the cashback be instituted by proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC), but that the detailing be done later, by means of a complementary law. According to the proposals, the exemption from taxes on products in the basic basket would end. In exchange, there would be a refund of the taxes levied on these goods to families registered in the Single Register of Social Programs of the Federal Government (CadÚnico). For the secretary, the cashback model is efficient in income redistribution because it directly benefits the poorest, while the current system of exemption from the basic food basket benefits both poor and rich taxpayers. The decision on how the devolution of resources would take place, Appy said, is up to politicians. “[O cashback] it has to be decided politically by Parliament, to whom you are going to return the tax. Parliament is the one who will calibrate. You can decide to give back to 30% or 70% of the population. it depends on you [congressistas]”, declared the secretary at the hearing. Differences The definition of cashback by regulation caused disagreements among deputies. Rapporteur for the tax reform in the Chamber, Aguinaldo Ribeiro (PP-PB) said that the topic has not yet been defined and that, at the moment, it is not possible to provide details of how the cashback would work for the poorest or on the range that will receive the aid. . “Who will benefit is something that will be discussed in depth by this group,” he said. Deputy Ivan Valente (PSOL-SP), however, defended that the PEC detail the devolution of resources, instead of just approving the general principle of the idea. “You can’t leave regulation to a complementary law. Regulation of law in the National Congress sometimes takes years and is subject to pressure groups, ”he justified. Appy experiences also made suggestions on how this devolution would occur. According to him, the cashback could be based on the Individual Taxpayer Registration (CPF) issued on the invoice, with the purchase value and registration in the Single Registry being crossed to authorize the return. The secretary cited the example of Rio Grande do Sul, which implemented a system to refund the Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services (ICMS) in 2021 to families registered in the Cadastro Único with income of up to three minimum wages, through a credit card. credit. Initially, the government of Rio Grande do Sul refunded a fixed amount per family and has now started to refund per CPF, based on crossing data between the purchase price and the family’s registration status. In remote locations, without internet access, Appy suggested a direct income transfer system, complementary to Bolsa Família.

Agência Brasil