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Deputies Approve Bill That Prohibits Unauthorized Deductions from INSS, Requires Refunds within 30 Days, and Tightens Rules for Payroll Loans.
The Chamber of Deputies approved last Tuesday the bill that prohibits deductions from associations on INSS benefits and creates stricter rules for payroll loans.
The vote occurred symbolically, rejecting all highlights that could alter the main text. The bill now goes to the Senate for analysis.
Mandatory Refund of Amounts
The text, reported by Deputy Danilo Forte (União-CE), establishes that undue deductions made by associative entities, financial institutions, or leasing companies must be fully refunded within 30 days.
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The measure also applies to monthly fees for unauthorized payroll loans not authorized by retirees or pensioners.
If the companies do not refund, the INSS will have to pay the beneficiary and collect the owed amounts later, even through asset seizure if necessary.
The most important thing is that the institute will be responsible for identifying the affected retirees.
Identification of Irregular Deductions
The proposal establishes that active searching will be carried out based on audits from control bodies and data such as the volume of complaints, reports, lawsuits, and requests for the cancellation of unauthorized deductions.
Thus, the cross-referencing of this information will allow for quicker identification of irregularities.
Furthermore, the project states that deductions for payment of payroll loans can only occur after the express authorization of the retiree or pensioner. This authorization will need to be made through biometric data and electronic signature.
Structure at INSS
The text provides for the installation of biometric terminals at INSS units.
These booths will especially serve elderly people and individuals with disabilities who wish to unlock deductions or contract payroll credit. Thus, the process should gain more security and transparency.
Operation Without Deductions and Urgency in Approval
The operation triggered in April accelerated the processing of the proposal. The Federal Police and the Comptroller General of the Union identified a billion-dollar fraud affecting retirees and pensioners. According to investigations, entities were deducting fees without the victims’ knowledge or under the false pretense of obligation.
The investigation began in 2023 with audits on 29 entities that had agreements with the INSS. The CGU found that most did not have the structure to provide services. In 70% of cases, the entities did not even submit the documentation required by the institute.
CPMI of INSS
The Lula government started the work of the CPMI of INSS at a disadvantage, as the opposition won key positions. Senator Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG) took the presidency and Deputy Alfredo Gaspar (União Brasil-AL), an ally of Bolsonaro, took the rapporteurship. It is Gaspar’s responsibility to prepare the final report with possible requests for indictments.
The committee also decided to request the preventive imprisonment of Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes, known as “Careca do INSS.” Arrest warrants were also requested for Alessandro Stefanutto, former president of the institute, and 19 other suspects.
