Source: Sebrae SP - - NEWS - 10/03/2010

Social Security has been showing an increase in revenue and, for the first time in many years, this is not due to the increase in rates, but the entry of new taxpayers, especially with the contribution of individual microentrepreneurs. The information was given today (10/3) by the Secretary of Employment and Labor Relations, Guilherme Afif Domingos, during the inauguration of the 10th unit of Banco do Povo Paulista (BPP) in the capital, which is installed in the district of the Associação Comercial de Vila Mariana.

According to the secretary, the individual entrepreneur encourages the legalization of the activities of workers who are in the informal sector. “In the age of technology, registered employment is increasingly scarce. But that does not mean that work is being restricted. The hiring methods have changed, ”said the secretary.

“The legislation that deals with work portrays a moment in history, which is the first half of the last century, when there were only bosses and employees. But, what about the situation of those who are self-employed, who are in self-employment? There are more than 10 million Brazilians in this situation, 3,2 million in the State of São Paulo alone, practically the population of Uruguay and, in the city of São Paulo, around 1 million, ”said the secretary.

According to information from the Ministry of Social Security obtained last week, since its implementation, on July 1, 2009, until March 8, 134.236, XNUMX workers were formalized by the legal figure of MEI across the country.

The partnership between the State Government, the Commercial Association, São Paulo City Hall, Sescon-SP and Sebrae-SP aims to expand the service and guidance network for the Individual Microentrepreneur (MEI) in the capital, streamline formalization and encourage the development of newly formalized entrepreneurs in the city.

“The expansion of services to the MEI is a national challenge. Hence the importance of a partnership like this, between the state government, city hall, Commercial Association and Sescon-SP ”, pointed out Milton Dallari, administrative and financial director of Sebrae-SP, who was present at the launch.
 
Rodrigo Garcia, Municipal Secretary for Modernization, Management and Bureaucratization, highlighted the importance of publicizing and expanding the partnership: “It is up to all of us to make this legislation a reality, to seek out this micro-entrepreneur, to bring it into formality and offer him all the tools to promote the positive effects that this new legislation will bring to our society ”.

Representatives from partner institutions were present at the launching ceremony. Among them, Natanael Miranda dos Anjos, municipal secretary of the Individual Microentrepreneur of São Paulo; Alencar Burti, president of the São Paulo Commercial Association; José Maria Chapina Alcazar, president of Sescon-SP; Pedro Rodrigues Silva, superintendent director of the Southeast District (Vila Mariana) of the Commercial Association of São Paulo; and Antonio Mendonça, executive director of Banco do Povo Paulista.

Expansion

Banco do Povo is a productive microcredit program of the São Paulo government, created in 1998. In 11 years of activities, it has already lent more than R $ 620 million in 200 thousand operations. The main objective of the program is to generate employment and income through the development of small businesses. To this end, it grants loans from R $ 200 to R $ 7,5, with payment in up to 36 months and an interest rate of 0,7% per month. The opening and regularization of companies, the purchase of goods and the purchase and repair of machinery and utility vehicles can be financed with credit.

Until 2009, there were two BPP units in the capital, one of them in Vila Mariana itself. The partnership between the State government, the Commercial Association, the Municipality of São Paulo, Sescon-SP and Sebrae-SP is allowing the expansion of service to 15 new points, which will be inaugurated by the end of March 2010, in district offices of the Commercial Association.

The first unit opened in the neighborhood of Santo Amaro, on January 28th. Until the end of March, branches of Mooca, Tatuapé, Santana, Butantã and Penha will be inaugurated. In the bank's units, in addition to granting loans, there will be assistance to informal workers, who want to become legalized as Individual Microentrepreneurs (MEIs).