The main headline in the main newspapers this Thursday is the news that Minister Fernando Haddad (Treasury) has submitted to the Chamber of Deputies the first bill regulating the tax reform approved by Congress. This first bill deals with the operational rules for the new taxes created by the reform. A press conference this Thursday will detail the main points of the bill. The text does not define, for example, the new VAT rate, but the government has indicated that it should be an average of 26.5%. The second bill, which deals with the IBS management committee, should be submitted in the second week of May, according to Haddad, who mentioned an agreement with the Speaker of the Chamber, Arthur Lira, so that the bills will be taken to the plenary of the House before the mid-year parliamentary recess.
Below are some points that are highlighted by newspapers regarding the bill:
- The selective tax will apply to vehicles; vessels and aircraft; tobacco products; alcoholic beverages; sugary drinks; and extracted mineral goods. Ultra-processed foods are excluded.
- The bill details the cashback system, which will benefit people from low-income families. Only families with a per capita income of up to half the minimum wage and registered with CadÚnico will be entitled to the benefit. The general rule will be the return of 20% of the CBS and IBS, with a higher cashback in the case of expenses with cooking gas, electricity, water and sewage.
- The text lists the 15 basic food basket items that will have a zero tax rate – among them, butter, milk, rice and soybean oil. In addition to these 15, three other types of food will also have a zero tax rate, but are not formally part of the basic food basket (vegetables, fruits and eggs).
- Another 14 foods will have a reduced rate, with a discount of 60%. This includes meat, fish and pasta, for example.
- The text defines 18 categories of professionals who will be included in specific regimes, with a discounted rate of 30%. Among them are lawyers, administrators and accountants.
- In total, 27 health services, including psychiatry, dentistry and physiotherapy, will have a discounted rate of 60%.
On another front, newspapers report that the federal government has filed an unconstitutionality lawsuit with the Supreme Federal Court to overturn the law that extended the payroll tax exemption for 17 economic sectors until 2027 and reduced social security contributions by city governments. The government's central argument is the lack of any indication by Congress of the financial impact of the measure and, therefore, of any compensation for the tax waiver. "The gap is extremely serious, especially considering the fact that the loss in annual revenue estimated by the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service with the extension of the payroll tax exemption policy is in the order of R$15T 10 billion per year," says the document, as reproduced by FOLHA DE S.PAULO.
In VALOR ECONÔMICO, a report points out that the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira, “discusses with parliamentarians and businessmen to approve the end of the exemption from import tax for international shipments of up to US$$ 50 for e-commerce companies”. According to Lira's articulation, this topic would be included in the Mover program bill (Low-Carbon Sustainable Mobility and Logistics), referring to the automobile industry. The newspaper recalls that this proposal is being processed as an urgent matter, with the Chamber's agenda being blocked from consideration as of the 6th.
Source: jota.pro