The bill that legalizes gaming in Brazil gained an important supporter within the transitional government team of President-elect Lula with the entry of federal deputy Felipe Carreras (PSB-PE). He will be part of the working group that will address issues related to tourism for the implementation of policies in the area in the next administration.
According to interlocutors, Carreras intends to defend, during the transition, that the Lula government support the project, as a way to increase tax collection. Although it is not a priority for the future government, the legalization of gaming is seen as an alternative for the generation of jobs in a sector that is still legally unexplored in Brazil and an excellent source of resources due to its ability to generate taxes.
On the occasion of the voting in the plenary of Bill 441/91, the leader of the PT in the House, Reginaldo Lopes (MG), said that the agenda for tourism was not based on games of chance, but on the “riches natural”.
After the approval of the basic text, the PT still tried, without success, to approve a highlight to increase the taxation on the gaming foreseen in Carreras’ text. PT supporters suggested increasing the CIDE (federal contribution) rate on the sector, from 17% to 30%, with the incidence on gross revenue instead of profit. The proposal did not evolve so as not to alienate future investors in the gaming activity.
Although the gaming sector is not among the priorities of the new government, including the rejection of numerous politicians close to the president-elect, the need for new sources of funds and activities that generate jobs to reinforce the Union's cash flow is undeniable. With the regulation of all types of gaming verticals, it is expected a collection of around R$ 20 billion (US$ 3.85b) in taxes per year.
Source: GMB
