Entities ask candidates for commitment against piracy, counterfeiting and smuggling

By ETCO
10/10/2014

ETCO and the National Forum Against Piracy and Illegality (FNCP), together with 18 other entities, launched on September 16, in Brasília (DF), a letter of commitment for candidates and current occupants of legislative positions. . In the document, the institutions ask for measures to protect the national market from the harmful effects of piracy, counterfeiting and smuggling of consumer goods and services.

“This letter is a warning from industry and commerce to show that tenacity and political will are needed to protect the internal market. We are forwarding it to the candidates and current representatives in order to obtain a commitment to change the way the authorities face these problems ”, says ETCO's executive president, Evandro Guimarães.

In addition to the letter with direct protection measures, the entities also propose the creation of the National Day to Combat Smuggling, dated March 3. The day will serve to mark the fight against this serious misconduct, which harms the economy and society as a whole.

According to the FNCP, the losses caused by the illegal trade in goods and services in 2013 exceeded R $ 30 billion. "Illegality is also linked to tax evasion, the loss of formal jobs, as well as risks to the health of the consumer, who is at the mercy of uncontrolled products", points out the entity's president, Edson Luiz Vismona.

For the organization, the trade in illegal products is linked to crimes such as kidnapping, trafficking in arms, ammunition, drugs and people, money laundering and theft. Behind the purchases made in street vendors, there is the performance of sophisticated criminal networks that move billions of reais in illegal products.

Data collected by the FNCP show that in the city of São Paulo alone, between 2010 and 2012, more than R $ 2 billion in illegal goods were seized. In the Federal District, in 2013, 1,23 million products were seized. According to the IRS, in 2013, the total value of goods seized at the borders was R $ 1,68 billion, a fraction of what actually enters the country illegally.

To learn more, click here and check the letter of commitment

Also read article published in the Correio Braziliense newspaper

Click here and see Evandro Guimarães interview for Câmara radio