Minister Flávio Dino, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), determined this Sunday (24) that the city of São Paulo reestablish charging for funeral services at the prices applied before privatization.
According to the minister’s decision, the charge must take into account previous values updated by the IPCA (Broad National Consumer Price Index).
Four companies took over the administration of funeral services in the city of São Paulo in March 2023. In total, there are 22 public cemeteries and one crematorium.
Dino’s decision came in a lawsuit filed by the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), which argues that privatization generated abusive increases in the prices of funeral services and led to “unrestrained commercial exploitation”.
Dino accepted part of the party’s request. For him, despite privatization seeking to modernize the service, “the path taken so far has strong evidence of systemic generation of serious violations of several fundamental precepts, including the dignity of the human person, the obligation to maintain public service appropriate and fully accessible to families”.
A CNN contacted the municipal management for a position on the decision. In a statement, the City of São Paulo said it understands that the measure is a setback “to the actions adopted by the administration to serve the poorest”. “The STF’s decision eliminates, for example, the 25% discount on social funerals guaranteed by the new model”, says the note.
Note – São Paulo City Hall
The City of São Paulo understands that the measure is a setback to the actions adopted by the administration to serve the poorest. The STF’s decision eliminates, for example, the 25% discount on social funerals guaranteed by the new model.
We therefore viewed with concern a decision that, in reality, causes the loss of benefits. It is also worth noting that the action was based on reports already contested by City Hall after publication of misleading or incomparable values.
Finally, the City Hall regrets the political use by parties (Communist Party of Brazil) that attempt to cause a setback in a concession that has directly benefited the population, especially the most vulnerable families.
