By ISABEL SOBRAL, O Estado de S. Paulo - 03/10/2004

BRASÍLIA - One of the main bottlenecks that hinder economic growth in Brazil, the bureaucracy, still seems far from having an end. The federal government says that the order is to "de-bureaucratize" the process of opening, closing and touching the daily lives of companies in the country, but admits that only a pact between all administrative spheres, public institutions and private entities can solve the problem. question. Not an easy task.

“As everyone has autonomy to decide, this is a difficult and time-consuming conversation”, says a member of the first federal level. “The government's philosophy is to simplify, but there is a lot of resistance”, admits this official, who points out the joints, notaries and dispatchers “among the structures that can gain from this heavy machine”.

The Public Policy manager of the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae), Bruno Quick, agrees that there is an overlap of requirements in the country. “All agencies want to be zealous, accumulate requirements and forget that there is only one businessman to take care of them all ”, he says.

Reports from businesspeople who had to pay “an extra” to speed up the release of permits or to reduce the deadline for inspection visits are common in Sebrae's regional offices. In such cases, news of punishment is rare. “The so-called bureaucracy industry is often maintained, because there is corporatism and the desire to maintain power,” defines the technician.

“When there is a lot of difficulty, there are those who earn by selling facilities,” says businessman Emerson Kapaz, president of the Brazilian Institute for Competition Ethics (Etco).

An entrepreneur who wants to regularize his business is going through an obstacle course to obtain permits, licenses, records and declarations from various public and private agencies. Various information is requested repeatedly. To account, accountants and dispatchers end up being essential.

Survivor - José Amário Pereira, owner of a small clothing repair shop in Brasília, defines himself as a lucky businessman and a survivor. Even with daily bureaucracy, his store celebrates five years of existence with five employees. He attributes good relations with intermediaries and partnerships with service providers to victory over this heavy machine. ”Having a reliable accountant is essential for anyone who wants to have a company” says José Amário.

In this delicate terrain, the search for those responsible for bureaucracy became a push-push game. Accountants say there is no way to increase profits by mediating the relationship between the company and the state.

For the vice president of the National Federation of Accounting Companies (Fenacon), Sauro Henrique de Almeida, the biggest problem is the public administration, which, in general, oversees before allowing the company to function.

The State Boards of Trade and the registry offices defend themselves. The president of the National Association of Commercial Board Presidents (Anprej), Julio Maito Filho, says that businessmen also have their responsibility. If everything is correctly informed, he says, the average registration period is a few days.

For notary publics, a little bureaucracy is necessary to provide legal certainty to contracts and protection for members. “Only by registering everything that rights can be defended”, says the director of the Association of Notaries and Registrars (Anoreg) of Brazil, João Manuel de Oliveira Franco.