Senate approves reduction of companies benefiting from Perse and a ceiling of R$15 billion; text goes to sanction | Policy

The Senate approved this Tuesday (30) a project that reduces the number of companies benefiting from the Emergency Program for the Resumption of the Events Sector (Perse). The text has not undergone any changes in relation to what was voted on by the deputies and, as it has already been approved by the Chamber, it will go on to be sanctioned by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

The number of sectors covered, currently 44, will fall to 30, according to the project. Among the sectors that are left out are:

• hostels, except welfare;
• campsites;
• pensions (accommodation);
• film production company for advertising;
• reservation services and other tourism services;
• passenger transport service – car rental with driver; It is
• organization of excursions in own road vehicles, intercity, interstate and international.

Perse was created in 2021, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, to help professionals who work with events, through tax exemption.

The program resets the rate of four taxes, including Income Tax, for companies in the sector such as, for example, hotels, bars, buffets, travel agencies and musical productions.

After agreement between the economic team and Chamber leaders, it was possible to stipulate a spending limit of R$15 billion with tax exemptions until 2026.

The duration of the program will, therefore, be limited in two ways: when it reaches the value of R$15 billion or when it reaches December 2026.

The Senate rapporteur, Daniella Ribeiro (PSD-PB), tried to change the text so that this ceiling value would be adjusted for inflation over the next two years.

But, as the impact would be around R$2 billion more, the government negotiated to withdraw the suggestion.

‘In the end it worked because the government gave in a lot’, says Míriam about Perse

The government, especially the economic team, had been wanting to close Perse. Seeking to close the hole in public accounts, the Ministry of Finance was counting on taxes from these sectors to improve revenues.

But Congress did not agree to end the program. During the negotiations, the government proposed reducing the benefited sectors from 44 to 12. In the end, the number remained at 30.