135 irregular credit and debit card machines were apprehended, and fines totaled R $ 16,2 million in claimed credits.

With a total of 8.237 establishments inspected in 26 municipalities in Bahia, in the months of November and December, the teams of the State Finance Secretariat (Sefaz-Ba) mobilized by Operation Loyal Competition rendered 991 establishments whose address was not found ineffective, summoned another 328 for registration update and seized 135 credit and debit card machines used irregularly, as they are not linked to the inspected companies. In all, the assessments totaled R $ 16,2 million in claimed credits.

The irregularities with credit and debit card machines deserved special attention from the operation and should have consequences: in addition to the seizure of equipment and the application of R $ 2,3 million in fines, another consequence of the fraud could be the framing of those responsible in lawsuits. for tax crime. Cases that are not regularized by taxpayers at the administrative level will be forwarded by Sefaz-Ba, in the form of crime news, to the State Prosecutor's Office (MP-Ba). It will be up to the MP-Ba to analyze the possibility of framing irregularities as crimes against the tax order.

Preventive work

Aimed at combating tax evasion and the irregular sale of goods, Operation Loyal Competition intensified enforcement in the supermarket, clothing, beverage, footwear and construction materials segments. 60 Mobile Inspection Units and equivalent numbers of inspectors and military police officers were mobilized. The Finance Secretary, Manoel Vitório, points out that the priority in the action was not direct collection, but preventive action, encouraging the taxpayer to voluntarily comply with tax obligations.

When the taxpayer fails to fulfill these obligations, the market resents unfair competition, observes Manoel Vitório. "Those who fail to pay taxes have a competitive advantage over taxpayers who comply with their obligations", explains the secretary. During the inspection, Sefaz-Ba's teams checked, among other topics, whether the tax paid by partial advance was paid and whether the company's actual economic activity was consistent with that described in the ICMS Taxpayer Register.

The teams' agenda was based on data crossings carried out by Sefaz's State Operations Center (COE), which allowed them to act directly in cases where some indication of irregularity had already been found. Loading and unloading was also monitored in large shopping centers and malls, in addition to checking the connection of credit and debit card machines with the registered establishment.

Counties

The Fair Competition operation was carried out by the Inspectors of Inspection of Goods in Transit (IFMT) of the North, South and Metropolitan regions, units linked to the Superintendence of Tax Administration (SAT), under the coordination of the Management of Goods in Transit (Getra).

In the Metropolitan Region of Salvador, the operation inspected taxpayers from six municipalities: Salvador, Lauro de Freitas, Camaçari, Simões Filho, Candeias and Mata de São João. In the North region, the agenda included companies from ten municipalities: Feira de Santana, Santo Antônio de Jesus, Cruz das Almas, Alagoinhas, Irecê, Jacobina, Paulo Afonso, Serrinha, Juazeiro and Senhor do Bonfim. Finally, in the South and West regions, taxpayers from ten other municipalities were included in the operation: Vitória da Conquista, Itabuna, Ilhéus, Eunápolis, Teixeira de Freitas, Itamaraju, Barreiras, Luis Eduardo Magalhães, Bom Jesus da Lapa and Guanambi.

Source: SEFAZ BA (5/01/2016)