The People (CE) - 21/11/2011

By Roberto Abdenur

The crime of tax evasion is an evil that affects our country in several spheres. But good initiatives to combat this harmful practice have been implemented by federal and state government agencies.

In Ceará alone, according to data from the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Secretariat of Finance of Ceará (Sefaz), about R $ 183 million that should have been in public coffers until October this year were lost due to tax evasion. This figure is mostly based on deviations from the ICMS (Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services) and fines imposed on more than 400 companies in the segments of wholesale, retail, industries, food and accommodation services, transportation and sector services agriculture.

For this reason, the State Finance Departments have created several tools to contain tax evasion and promote greater control in the application of tax laws. Among them is the Beverage Production Control System (Sicobe). Although the beverage sector is already one of the largest federal taxpayers, there are still producers who seek to beat competition through violation of tax law.

An advanced device for tax collection purposes, Sicobe provides information on production and identification of what is manufactured, ensuring control of the quantity produced and the types of drinks, brands and packaging. The agency acts in two ways: In factories, it performs electronic inspection of goods. After the products leave, they are tracked during circulation and presented at points of sale. With the mechanism and the information provided, the IRS can cross-check the production volume data and the brands of beers, soft drinks and water, relating to the added value of the drink, the taxes and the collection by the federal coffers.

The implementation of Sicobe, since 2008, has become mandatory and one of the main instruments to combat tax evasion. Its installation and maintenance at Casa da Moeda has a cost of R $ 0,03 per unit of measured product, an amount that can be reduced with the payment of IPI, PIS and Cofins. With the system, everyone benefits. The government, which will provide more funds for social improvements; companies, which will have balanced competition; and the consumer, who will have quality products accompanied from their manufacture to the points of sale.

Roberto Abdenur is President of ETCO