Minister of Science and Technology defends updating the Law of Good

The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos, defended this Monday (8) an update of the Good Law. Created in 2005, the law is the main instrument to encourage private investment in research, development and innovation (RD&I) in the country. Luciana said that it is essential to approve Bill 4944/2020, currently being discussed in the National Congress, which provides, among other changes, to exclude the restriction that prevents companies in a situation of tax loss from taking advantage of the incentives, with the possibility of compensation in financial years later. “The Lei do Bem is the most comprehensive instrument we have to stimulate innovation in Brazilian companies. Since 2005, more than R$170 billion have been earmarked for research, development and innovation activities in all sectors of the economy,” said the minister at the Lei do Bem: Opportunities and Challenges event, at the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan). “This is a paradox that we need to reverse from being the tenth country in the world in number of academic publications, but we occupy the 54th position in the Global Innovation Index, which reveals that this production of knowledge does not take place in processes and products”, Luciana said. Firjan said that one of the contributions it can make to the debate on the subject is to highlight the relevance of reflection on the current access to the incentives of such important legislation limited to companies under the real profit regime. “By limiting its reach to companies that operate on real profit, the Lei do Bem excludes companies that resort to Simples Nacional, that is, smaller ones. And, as we all know, it is precisely small businesses that represent most companies. With each passing moment, investments in research, development and innovation become even more essential for the survival of a company, regardless of size. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to expand the participating companies, to the benefit of further development of the economy”, highlighted Eduardo Eugenio Gouvêa Vieira, president of Firjan.

Agência Brasil