Tax reform: economist from the Confederation of Commerce defends lower rates for segments that employ the most

The National Confederation of Trade in Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC) will try to convince the Senate to expand the list of segments that may have a reduced rate in the text of the tax reform. The understanding of the CNC is that the version approved in the Chamber is superior to the initial proposal that the rapporteur, deputy Aguinaldo Ribeiro (PP-PB), presented at the end of June. However, the entity is trying to persuade senators to give differentiated treatment to “highly employing” sectors.

That’s what CNC senior economist Fabio Bentes explains. “There is an enormous diversity of sectors in the economy that employ a lot of people. We are going to try, in some way, to sensitize parliamentarians to the importance of building some type of tax rate reducer for highly employing sectors”, he says.

The CNC’s “lobby” with senators for different treatment for some segments will not be restricted to commerce and services, guarantees the economist. The idea is that activities that employ the most in other sectors are also among those that will have rates below the reference rate of the Dual Value Added Tax (VAT), which will replace IPI, PIS, Cofins, ICMS and ISS.

“If you have a certain sector, regardless of whether it is agriculture, services, industry or commerce, it employs a lot, it seems fair to me that there is a special look at this sector”, evaluates Bentes, who believes that parliamentarians are concerned about the issue of employment.

He explains that the construction industry, labor leasing, telemarketing and building conservation activities are among the segments with a significant number of employees that, in the text approved by the Chamber, were left out of the exceptional rates.

According to the text that the deputies approved, some segments of the commerce and services sector, such as education, health, transport, hotels, bars, restaurants and amusement parks will have lower rates or receive different treatment in the new tax system.