In a setback for Haddad, Perse’s rapporteur in the Senate wants to increase the cost of the benefit

The rapporteur in the Senate of the bill that reformulates the Emergency Program for the Resumption of the Events Sector (Perse), Daniella Ribeiro (PSD-PB), states that it will include the correction for inflation in the R$ 15 billion cost of the program until the end of the year. end of 2026. The change in the text should increase the fiscal impact of tax incentives, in a setback for the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad.

The correction for inflation was in the opinion of the rapporteur in the Chamber, deputy Renata Abreu (Podemos-SP), but was withdrawn at the last minute, shortly before the vote in the House’s plenary, which took place symbolically last Tuesday, 23 .

Ribeiro also wants to prevent companies with favorable court injunctions from accessing benefits. The idea is that only companies included in the list of sectors of the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAEs) provided for by law and that have a final, that is, final, court decision are part of the program.

The text approved by the Chamber provides that 30 activities will have access to the program. The Treasury initially wanted to reduce the list from 44 to 7, but was defeated.

This Monday, the 29th, Daniella will meet with representatives of the sectors benefiting from Perse to discuss other aspects of the project. The expectation is that the vote on the report in the Senate will take place this week, in a semi-presential session.

The president of the House, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), guaranteed that the text will go directly to the plenary, urgently, without going through committees. If the changes are approved, the proposal returns for further analysis by the Chamber.

Perse was created in 2021, during the covid-19 pandemic, to help event companies experiencing financial difficulties, due to the interruption of activities during the quarantine.

The government tried to end the benefits, claiming that companies had already recovered from the downturn, but faced resistance from Congress, which decided to gradually end the incentives.

During the negotiations, however, under pressure from the Ministry of Finance, the Chamber agreed to limit Perse’s costs at R$15 billion until 2026.

Haddad, however, faces new strain with Parliament, even more intense with Rodrigo Pacheco, since the government filed a lawsuit with the Federal Supreme Court (STF) annulling the effects of the payroll tax exemption for 17 sectors of the economy and for municipalities.

On Friday, the 26th, Pacheco reported that the Senate presented an appeal to the STF and said that it had received the government’s action with “perplexity” – the extension of the payroll tax exemption was approved by Congress with a large majority in both Houses. But the government claims that there is no budget forecast for the expense.

On Saturday, the 27th, after Folha de S.Paulo published an interview in which Haddad demands fiscal responsibility from Congress, Pacheco issued a note in which he stated that commitment to public accounts does not mean “full adherence to the Executive”. He also demanded government actions to reduce expenses, without increasing revenue.

After having managed to approve, last year, measures such as the taxation of the funds of the super-rich and in tax havens, the head of the economic team has encountered more resistance in moving forward with the fundraising agenda in Parliament this year.