Combating informality

 

Evandro Guimarães at an event on the National Day to Combat Smuggling. (Photo: Marcelo Camargo / Agência Brasil)
Evandro Guimarães at an event on the National Day to Combat Corruption. (Photo: Marcelo Camargo / Agência Brasil)

Evandro Guimaraes

In a year of changes in the economy, with great expectations from society about the direction of public finances and about the development of trade and industry, fiscal adjustment is a condition for the resumption of the country's growth.

The target for 2015 is a primary surplus of 1,2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), that is, R $ 66,3 billion for the entire public sector - which includes states, municipalities and state-owned companies. Last year, for the first time since 2002, public accounts registered a deficit. According to the most recent data from the Central Bank, it was R $ 19,64 billion until November.

If the country really has to face a fiscal squeeze, it is essential that the government takes tough and permanent measures in the face of losses caused by products sold outside the formality. These illegal products affect competitiveness in the business environment, discourage investment in the affected sectors and encourage tax evasion. It is therefore necessary to launch an offensive against these crimes.

When, on January 19, the Minister of Finance, Joaquim Levy, announced measures to balance the public accounts, foreseeing the collection of another R $ 20 billion in 2015, the Federal Revenue Secretary, Jorge Rachid, was at his side, who returned to the position almost seven years after leaving it.

"We will not give any truce to those who do not comply with tax obligations," said Rachid. He doesn't lack experience for that. He has already been a member of the Council to Combat Piracy and created, in the Federal Revenue, divisions specialized in the inspection and repression of these practices. Its presence indicates that the government is willing to recover the role of the Revenue in the elaboration of tax policies and to return the focus to the inspection.

Initiatives to reinforce the inspection and fight against smuggling, piracy, counterfeiting and evasion are supported by the National Forum Against Piracy and Illegality (FNCP) and the Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition (Etco).

In September 20, the two entities, together with 2014 business and civil society organizations, launched the Manifesto in Defense of the Brazilian Legal Market, suggesting 12 measures aimed at changing the current situation of lack of control and lack of supervision.

This scenario, which had a serious impact on Brazilian industrial production, caused losses of more than R $ 30 billion in 2013, according to a FNCP survey. In that year, the main illegal products seized by the Revenue were cigarettes, vehicles, electronics, clothing and sunglasses.

O Manifesto in Defense of the Brazilian Legal Market provides for the creation of the National Anti-Smuggling Day, on March 3. Making the population aware of the consequences of consuming illegal products is another fundamental ingredient in the recipe for Brazil to have its accounts balanced and its industry full of vigor.

(article published in the Folha de São Paulo newspaper, in the OPINION section, on 03/03/2015)

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/opiniao/2015/03/1597119-evandro-guimaraes-combate-a-informalidade.shtml

Illegal market worries Brazilian productive sectors

national-day-of-fight-against-smuggling

On March 3, the National Day to Combat Smuggling is celebrated. To mark the dedicated date, the Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition (ETCO) and the National Forum Against Piracy and Illegality (FNCP), together with more than 20 business entities and civil society organizations, are organizing an act in defense of the Brazilian legal market.

The president of SindiTabaco, Iro Schünke, participates in the event For the end of smuggling next Tuesday (3), at 15 pm, at the Brasil 21 Convention Center, in Brasília.

On the occasion, a balance of the problem, its impacts and suggestions for solving it will be presented. In addition to members of the representative entities, the event will also count on the presence of parliamentarians, with whom the issues mentioned will be discussed, in the search for combating smuggling.

According to IBOPE intelligence data, contraband surpassed the level of 31% of the Brazilian cigarette market in 2014, figures equivalent to a tax evasion of R $ 4,5 billion to the federal government.

According to the 2014 Customs Balance released by the IRS, in the last year more than 182 million cigarette packs were seized, which corresponds to more than 3,64 billion illegal cigarettes removed from circulation. The amount seized exceeds the amount of R $ 514 million and represents 28% of the total seized by the Revenue in the year.

The total seizure of goods processed by the Federal Revenue, in the areas of inspection, repression, surveillance and control over foreign trade (including baggage), resulted in 2014, in the amount of R $ 1,80 billion, an increase of 3,70, 2013% in relation to XNUMX. Among the seized goods, there are counterfeit, toxic products, medicines and other products, including weapons and ammunition.

“The Federal Revenue Service has acted to curb illegal actions, but Brazil is large in borders and the illegal market continues to worsen. Other actions are needed to stop the problem. In addition to harming the formal organized sector, which generates income and jobs, smuggling directly damages public coffers that fail to collect with the legal product, one of the most taxed in the country, ”says Schünke.

Source: Sinditabaco

National Day Against Smuggling

Next Tuesday, March 3, ETCO participates with the FNCP, and 20 other multisectoral entities, in the National Day to Combat Smuggling.

This is an action of the Movement for the Defense of the Brazilian Legal Market, launched in September 2014, which aims, cohesively between entities and associations that suffer from similar problems, to combat practices of this type and contribute to the promotion of economic and social development. of the country.

On the 3rd, the entities will hold a press conference, in which updated data on contraband and the negative impacts that this activity brings to the country will be released. Suggestions to the Executive and Legislative that may contribute to mitigate this serious problem will also be discussed. .

 

Data: March 3, 2015 - 15 pm, in Brasilia