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Government Targets Thousand Companies Classified as Habitual Debtors, with Federal Debts Above 15 Million and Greater than their Assets, That May Lose Tax Benefits, Be Prohibited from Participating in Bids, and Face Stricter Rules in the Fuel Sector After Federal Police Operations to Strengthen the Fight Against Crime.
Government Targets Thousand Companies After the Chamber of Deputies Approves the Bill that Creates the Taxpayer Defense Code and Toughens Actions Against Habitual Debtors of Federal Taxes. The New Legislation Targets Large Debtors Who Accumulate High Amounts with the Union Recurrently.
According to CNN Brazil, the text, which Passed Through Congress for Eight Years, Defines Criteria to Identify Companies That Use Non-Payment of Taxes as a Competitive Strategy. The Focus is Especially on the Fuel Sector, Target of Federal Police Operations, and the Project Now Goes to Presidential Sanction with a Package of Tax and Commercial Sanctions Considered a Victory for the Government.
Who Are the Targets of the New Taxpayer Defense Code
According to the Secretary of the Federal Revenue, Robinson Barreirinhas, Government Targets Thousand Companies Classified as Habitual Debtors Among More than 20 Million Legal Entities Registered in Brazil.
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This is a Small Group in Number, but with a Significant Impact on Tax Collection, Due to Concentrating High and Recurring Debts with the Union.
For this Restricted Group, the Collection of Taxes Becomes a Priority.
The Government Identifies That These Companies Accumulate Debts Excessively and Repeatedly and Turn Non-Payment into a Competitive Advantage Over Competitors Who Regularly Pay Their Taxes.
Criteria to Be Considered a Habitual Debtor
The New Code Establishes Clear Parameters to Classify a Company as a Habitual Debtor. According to the Text, Companies That:
- Owe R$ 15 Million or More in Federal Taxes
- Accumulate Debts Recurringly, Not Just in Isolated Episodes
- Have Debts That Exceed 100% of the Company’s Assets, Indicating Impossibility of Immediate Settlement
According to Economic Analyst Gabriel Monteiro from CNN, They Are Companies That Have Positive Results, “Have Money, Are Profitable, But Still Owe the Government.”
In Other Words, They Are Not Failing Businesses, but Rather Groups That Incorporate Non-Payment of Taxes into Their Market Strategy.
How the New Punishment System Will Work
Companies Identified as Habitual Debtors Will Be Notified by the Federal Revenue. From This Official Communication, They Will Have 30 Days to Defend Themselves, Pay the Debt, or Negotiate a Payment Plan.
This Deadline is the Last Chance to Regularize the Situation Before the Application of Harder Sanctions Provided for in the Taxpayer Defense Code.
If No Action is Taken During This Period, The Sanction Package Comes Into Action. Companies May:
- Lose Tax Benefits That Currently Reduce Their Tax Burden
- Be Prohibited from Participating in Bids and Public Auctions, Limiting Access to Contracts with the State Itself
In Practice, the Government Combines Financial Pressure with Restrictions on Access to Public Business, Creating a Less Favorable Environment for Those Who Insist on Maintaining High and Persistent Debts with the Tax Authorities.
Focus on the Fuel Sector After Federal Police Operations
The Toughening of Rules Gained Momentum After Federal Police Operations Investigated Companies in the Fuel Sector, Such as the Carbon Hidden Operation.
It Is in This Segment That the Government Decided to Tighten the Requirements, Associating the New Legislation with Responses to Schemes Involving Tax Evasion and Fraud in the Fuel Supply Chain.
According to the Project Approved in the Chamber, Companies in This Sector Will Have to Prove Minimum Capital to Operate. For Fuel Manufacturers, This Amount Can Reach R$ 200 Million, Creating an Additional Barrier for Groups Trying to Operate with Fragile Financial Structures While Accumulating Debts with Federal Taxes.
Combating Organized Crime and Protecting Public Finances
According to Haddad and the Federal Government, The New Taxpayer Defense Code Is Presented as a Tool to Help Combat Organized Crime.
The Logic Is to Reduce the Space for Large Debtors to Use Systematic Non-Payment as Part of Criminal Structures or Schemes That Evade Large-Scale Tax Payments.
Gabriel Monteiro Emphasizes That the Strategy Is Also Seen as a Way to Avert the Diversion of Resources That Should Go to the Public Coffers.
By Focusing Efforts on Those Who Owe Very High Amounts Recurringly, Government Targets Thousand Companies That, Even with Positive Results, Continue Accumulating Debt with the Union at a Level Higher Than Their Own Assets.
Next Steps and Political Impact
The Project Is Viewed as an Important Victory for the Government in the National Congress. After Approval in the Plenary of the Chamber of Deputies, the Text Goes for Presidential Sanction, a Stage Where the Executive Confirms the Creation of the Taxpayer Defense Code and Consolidates the New Rules for Classifying Habitual Debtors.
For the Presidency, the Message Is Direct: Government Targets Thousand Companies That Concentrate Large Tax Debts and Signals That There Will Be No More Room to Use Non-Payment of Taxes as a Business Model in the Face of Competitors Who Keep Their Tax Obligations Up to Date.
And You, Do You Believe That Government Targets Thousand Companies Is the Right Move with the New Taxpayer Defense Code or That Toughening the Rules Burdens Some Economic Sectors Too Much?
Será que vão punir a Petrobras a maior devedora de impostos do país?
Ou é so uma jogada para poder esconder a dívida da empresa que alimenta a máquina do governo fazendo cortina de fumaça punindo empresas que já estão até pagando acordos de suas dívidas?
O país deve ser justos pra todos e não punir todos para beneficiar uma em0resa apenas!