With concentrated gathering on indirect taxes and high aliquots on in Natura products, the collection system weighs in the pocket of low-income families, who do not understand the form of collection.
At the time when the tax reform begins to appear in the discourse of the three main pre-candidates to the Presidency of the Republic, research published by the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP) reveals that the matter is distant from the day to day of Voters.
Although they have arcado with R $1.09 trillion in taxes to maintain the public sector last year, the misinformation is general.
Few contributors know, for example, that Brazil is one of the most taxed countries, with an average rate of 16.9, far above the Europeans (5.1) and the Americans (0.7).
Fiesp interviewed a thousand people in 70 cities, between 20:30 March, and found that 84 even know that some of the money from their purchases will stop in the government vaults.
However, few can guess how much of the final price of products and services comes from taxes.
No more than 30 of the interviewees said they know the percentage in items such as sugar, electric light, telephone, long life milk, chicken, rice, washing machine, soap powder, beef and bread.
The detail is that, in the case of these items, consumers pointed lower values than those actually paid.
The Brazilian tax burden is around 36 of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), higher than that of nations of equal level of development.
In domestic goods, the weight of taxes varies from zero to 80 of the price paid by the consumer.
The rates applied to cigarettes (80), Beverages (44), gasoline (35) and household appliances (33) Follow the international standard.
In Natura foods (fruits, vegetables and meats) have an average taxation of 12. The charge is 11 in food items that have undergone some industrial process.
To eat out, the taxing is even greater, than 16.
We All agree that we lack clear information on the payment of taxes at the time of purchases, especially on food, main items of popular consumption.
We Spent Almost 40 of the monthly income to supply the pantry and eventually lunch out with the family (considering woman and two small children).
The tax burden became more visible after a post in São Paulo sold gasoline giving a discount of more than 30, corresponding to the value of taxes. Imagine How much they shouldn’t charge on top of the fruit, the meat, the milk, which we buy every week.
We Know the last thing we think about when we’re shopping is taxes. We have No idea which taxes affect food.
The highest weight comes from the Tax on the Movement of Goods and Services (ICMS), responsible for 43.6 of the cargo, followed by the contribution to the Social Security and the Guarantee Fund of the Service Time (FGTS), with 21.6.
It’S a terrible reminder that part of our income ends with the government. We Regret that the leftover money is destined for expenses that would be procuned if the government offered better services.
We have to hire a private health insurance because we don’t have a hospital that meets us right.
The degree of misinformation of Brazilians is enormous. The political class and government authorities throw a smokescreen on the subject and evate information for society.
They steal your wallet without you noticing it. In the end, it seems that everything is free, that the government receives resources from a divine order and then offers to the Brazilian society.
Governments are ashamed to show the population how they raise taxes.
That is Why there is a state refusal to approve a measure determining that consumers receive, in the purchase note, information on how much they have paid for taxes in each product. This could help to awaken the conscience and the critical spirit of the voters.
We don’t realize taxes and we always complain that it’s the grocery store that’s expensive.
We Never had the worry of knowing about the part of your purchases that goes to the government.
Taxes that focus on consumption and public services, such as electricity and telephony, are embedded in prices.
So they weigh proportionally more about who wins less. It’S called the regressive effect of taxation.
Currently, a family with income of up to R $500 usually spends more than 32 of the budget with food, while the percentage is around 10 for families who earn above R $10000.
The low-income people in Brazil are punished because the State prefers to tax the products, then the income and, finally, the capital gains. In other countries, the order is reversed.
The debate on tax reform Is innocuous, as it will not be possible to change the structure of the collection without any reformulated administrative management. It will Not be a solution, as long as we have a wasteful and inefficient State.
The Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA) estimates that, who earned up to two minimum wages paid about 54 taxes in the year.
The ones who have won more than 30 minimums Have collected much less, 29.
In another perspective, while the poorest work 197 days to pay taxes, the richest strive much less: 106 days, or three months less.
In This previous track, it spent, on average, about half of the income with food.
Finally, we know that it is impossible to have no charge on consumption, but we complain about public health services, safety and education.
The amount raised had to be fairer, with return of that money to most people.
Luiz S. Andrade