Defenders of the matter in the Senate believe that it would be possible, only with the taxation of activities currently considered contraventions, to raise billions of reais with the measure. There is also the expectation that the installation of casinos, as well as the expansion of businesses that currently operate in legal limbo, would allow the creation of thousands of jobs.
Precisely in view of the significant economic impact of the proposal, senators say they are more open to discussing the regulation of the practice. An example of this occurred last week, during a session aimed at voting on the proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC) that aims to give greater legal certainty to the salary floor for nurses.
The PEC was created to constitutionalize the institution of the floor for the category. Through the proposal, the Senate ensures that the minimum remuneration level must be observed by public and private legal entities. The matter, however, does not solve the biggest problem of setting the salary floor, which is the absence of a financial source to pay any salary increases.
Now, senators are looking for an alternative to make possible the cost of establishing the minimum wage for the category. At the time, one of the suggestions made for financing was the exemption of the sector's payroll. Some parliamentarians, however, took the opportunity to defend that the House deliberate on the bill that legalizes gambling.
Ex-president support
The lack of resources to pay the salaries of the category was one of the issues responsible for reviving the discussion around the legalization of gambling – which had stagnated after senators articulated the creation of a parliamentary front against the project. However, another factor that weighs in favor of the bill is the support expressed by Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), former president of the House.
Alcolumbre is the current president of the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), the most important collegiate in the Senate, and has a strong influence behind the scenes, in addition to good relationship among parliamentarians, precisely because he has already commanded the House. On the day of the PEC vote, he demanded deliberation on the matter.
“It is very important for us to look into this issue, because the bill that authorizes gambling in Brazil will inevitably be a source of revenue, not only to meet the minimum wage for nurses,” he said.
The congressman then received the support of senator Ângelo Coronel (PSD-BA), who is also a great supporter of the theme: “There is no point in voting on the floor without having a place to get the money to pay. The legalization of the activity, which is being processed in this House, already approved in the Federal Chamber, may prove to be the solution to the problem.”
“False moralism”
In an interview with Metrópoles, Coronel stated that Brazil is, today, “the exception to the rule” among the great powers of the world that have already moved towards legalizing the activity. The congressman argues that criticism of the text in the Senate is “false moralism and hypocrisy. If this were to increase crime, as some argue, is it that all the powers in the world are wrong and we are right?”, he asked.
“This is a false moralism that does not and will no longer work in Brazil. We cannot fail to have the legalization of something that already exists in Brazil. It is time to regulate, supervise and collect. Brazil has tools to monitor possible illicit practices. I don't see a problem with that, we can't leave Brazil as it is today, with gambling in action without a penny of funds for the federative entities. This is absurd,” he continued.
Scenario is still unfavorable
Despite having gained a foothold in recent days, the proposal is far from being a pacified subject in the Senate. The bill will require a lot of effort from defenders to speed up the debate around the matter and, who knows, build an agreement to take it to a vote. This is because, today, the scenario continues to be unfavorable for the processing of the proposal.
One of the main articulators against the Bill is Senator Eduardo Girão (Podemos). It was from his initiative that the Parliamentary Front Against Gambling was created in the House. The Ceará native understands that the legalization of the sector will result in “costs to society far greater than any benefit. The benefits will be private for the operators of the activity, and the costs will be for society as a whole,” he highlights.
Source: Metrópoles
