The Social Affairs Committee (CAS) will discuss this Tuesday (20) the regulation of tax reform in terms of health impacts. Confirmed guests include the Extraordinary Secretary for Tax Reform at the Ministry of Finance, Bernard Abe, representatives of the health sector, as well as experts on the subject. The interactive public hearing requested (Request 75/2024 – CAS) by Senator Humberto Costa (PT-PE) and Leila Barros (PDT-DF), will start at 2 p.m.
The Council had previously approved the text regulating the tax reform (Bulb 68/2024) is being processed by the Senate Committee on Constitution and Justice (CCJ). The article details the rules for unifying consumption taxes, cases of low tax rates, and the rules for refunding the amount paid, known as cashback.
Organization is a condition of Constitutional Amendment No. 132Passed in December, it replaces five taxes (ICMS, ISS, IPI, PIS and Cofins) with three: the Goods and Services Tax (IBS), the Contribution to Goods and Services (CBS) and the Excise Tax. The goal is to simplify and modernize the Brazilian tax system, after decades of failed attempts in Congress.
In the application, Senator Leila claims that the tax reform will have a direct impact on the consumption profile of Brazilians, and for this reason A text must be drafted that seeks to reduce inequality, monitor the products to be exempted, and the selective tax must be an initiative that burdens products that are harmful to health and the environment.
“Through tax reform, it is possible to promote healthy eating from the basic food basket and to exempt basic foods, making them more accessible. It is also possible to reduce the consumption of tobacco and alcoholic beverages through excise tax, with the aim of improving health indicators, especially for the most vulnerable population groups. Moreover, the resources collected from excise tax, if linked to the health system, could strengthen the unified system, which currently suffers from a lack of funding, in addition to benefiting other entities in the Union.”
The draft provides in more detail which products or services will be subject to new taxes or which will not be taxed – so-called differentiated regimes. In total, there are more than 700 possibilities for exemption, immunity, reduction and tax benefits.
In addition to the extraordinary secretary for tax reform at the Ministry of Finance, Bernard Abe, they confirmed their attendance at the public hearing:
- World Bank Global Practice Representative for Health, Nutrition and Population in Latin America, Courtney Ivins
- ACT Health Promotion Manager, Monica Andres
- Coordinator of the Study Group at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) and the Tax Reform Observatory, Francisco Mata Machado Tavares
- National Secretary for Food and Nutrition Security at the Ministry of Development, Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger, Liliane dos Santos Rahal
- Secretary of the National Committee for the Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and its Protocols (CONIC), Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva.
The meeting will be held in Plenary Session 3 at the Alexander Costa Pavilion.
How to participateThe event will be interactive: citizens can send questions and comments by calling the Senate Ombudsman (0800 061 2211) or via the eCitizenship Portal, which senators and debaters can read and answer directly. The Senate provides a participation announcement, which can be used as a supplementary activity in a university course, for example. The eCitizenship Portal also receives citizens’ opinions on projects being processed in the Senate, as well as proposals for new laws. |
Senado Agency (Reproduction licensed based on an excerpt from Senado Agency)
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