Finance Minister claims that Lula asked for legal measures; dodged questions about advertising campaign
The Minister of Finance said this Wednesday (15 January 2025) that the federal government will “take action” about scams that use Pix’s new inspection rules as a basis. A stated that there are cases of fraud with the intention of charging extra fees immediately after making a purchase, for example.
“There are scams being given in commerce where someone wants to pay in PIX and is charged more than someone who is paying in cash, for example. So, it could characterize a crime against the popular economy”Haddad declared to journalists upon entering his ministry, in Brasília.
The change in rules determines that the Federal Revenue Service will monitor with a magnifying glass anyone who moves more than R$5,000 per month via Pix. This does not mean that a government fee was created per operationas reported by publications on social media. However, there will be greater supervision, which makes it easier to identify those who do not pay taxes and may result in more costs when declaring Income Tax or making it easier to fall into tax. “fine mesh”. Understand further down in the report.
The charging of extra fees in commerce is due to merchants’ distrust in monitoring financial transactions. How the Poder360several professionals in the sector believe that this would be a way of passing on any possible increase in costs to the consumer and avoiding their own losses.
Haddad also mentions cases of bills sent via messages to the population. He said that many of the scam cases would be analyzed by the AGU (Attorney General of the Union), so that they could be resolved within the scope of the law. According to him, it was an order from the president (PT)
“This is in the AGU’s orbit. The president asked for legal measures, which are appropriate, obviously, in accordance with the law. And we will take action about it”he declared.
Asked whether the government would invest in an advertising campaign about the new inspection, the minister avoided giving a concrete answer. He stated that “Strengthening the financial system is always on the agenda”.
Haddad also denied the existence of lower circulation of Pix. According to him, the drop in January compared to the end of the year is part of a “seasonality”.
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PIX SUPERVISION
The IRS will now receive data from credit card operators and payment institutions. They include large retailers, digital banks and electronic wallets, including transactions via Pix. The same was already done by traditional banks.
Only monthly movements above R$5,000 for individuals or R$15,000 for companies will be reported. According to the Tax Authorities, the data will be used to identify irregularities and reinforce compliance with tax laws. The information will be sent every six months through the tool known as e-Financeira, within the Federal Revenue Service.
At the end of each month, “all amounts left from the account are added together, including withdrawals and, if the limit of R$5,000 for an individual, or R$15,000 for a legal entity is exceeded”.
In a note, the Federal Revenue stated that the expanded data collection:
- seeks to improve the control and supervision of financial operations;
- ensures greater data collection;
- reinforces Brazil’s international commitments in the CRS (Common Declaration Standard);
- contributes to combating tax evasion; and
- promotes transparency in global financial operations.
REACTION
The decision to increase supervision over electronic transactions has been criticized by opposition parties and politicians. In practice, the system as presented aims to prevent evasion by those who use digital payment methods.
Strictly speaking, there is no tax on Pix. This payment method has replaced physical cash transactions in Brazil in recent years. Previously, millions of informal workers remained outside the Federal Revenue radar when they received cash payments for their services. This continued with Pix.
Now, everything is recorded. With the new system, anyone who falls into the income range eligible for payment of IRPF (Individual Income Tax) will be contacted to be charged.
Rent of up to R$27,110.40 per year (or R$2,259.20 per month) is tax-free, according to . From R$27,110.41 and up to R$33,919.80 (from R$2,259.21 to R$2826.65 per month), you must declare IRPF and be subject to a rate of 7.5% on the amount received.
It turns out that informal workers – ice cream sellers, bricklayers, electricians, cleaners, day laborers, painters and other service providers – used to receive cash. Now, with the popularization of the use of Pix, they now have all their income registered and linked to their CPFs.
This will also happen to millions of Bolsa Família beneficiaries, who receive money from the government and continue working informally. If the monthly amount exceeds R$5,000, these people will be contacted by the Federal Revenue Service and will have to pay taxes.
O Poder360 found that private surveys already carried out in recent days show that the general perception of so-called workers “remedied” e “battlers” it’s very bad.
A possible example is an ice cream man who sells popsicles in a football stadium. During the event, and walking among the fans in the stands, they charge R$10 per unit. If a group of fans buys 4, they pay R$40 – via Pix. The money goes to the seller’s account, but he only ends up with less than R$20, as he will have to pass on the rest to whoever made the ice cream.
At the end of the month, this ice cream man – totally informal – may have received more than R$5,000 if he worked during matches with a lot of public attendance. In this case, you will be identified by the Federal Revenue Service and will have to declare Income Tax. This person’s financial life will become more complex.
The tax agenda and the new rules for monitoring Pix have eroded the government’s image on social media and in real life. The opposition tries all the time to put the name of “tax collector”.
The new minister of the government’s Social Communication Secretariat, Sidônio Palmeira, already took action last week. It was released last Thursday (9.Jan.2025) by the Minister of Finance, (PT), trying to stop the bad reaction to the greater inspection of operations via Pix. The minister explained that Pix will not be taxed – which is true. But the reaction on social media over the weekend remained unfavorable for Palácio do Planalto.
There is already an ongoing movement by small service providers to avoid receiving payments via Pix. This makes sales difficult. At a football stadium, fans have become accustomed to going without money in their pockets, as everything is sold via Pix. In this case, the ice cream seller who demands payment in physical cash may sell less and make less profit.
Many voters are informal workers and were happy with Pix, due to the ease and security of the system. Now, to remain invisible to the Tax Authorities, they will have to return to the previous system, changing their routines. This tends to cause irritation with the new inspection system created by the Lula government. There will be a setback in the work process. In simplified reasoning, informal people interpret that it is the State disturbing the lives of those who want to work as micro-entrepreneurs.
