Eli Borges (PL-TO), vice-president of the Chamber, says that, if the Tax Authorities are targeting dividends, there is a “mistake”
The vice-president of the Evangelical Parliamentary Front of the Chamber of Deputies, Eli Borges (PL-TO) criticized this Wednesday (17 January 2024) the Federal Revenue Service's decision to annul the rule that gave tax exemption to religious leaders. To the Power360the congressman stated that he has now begun to “priestphobia”.
“We already explicitly have churchphobia, bibliophobia and, now, priestphobia. It seems like a political attempt at intimidation”said Borges.
According to the vice-president of the evangelical bench, if the Tax Authorities are targeting dividends, there is “mistake” because there will be no big impact.
“If they aim for dividends with this, they are mistaken, as, in practice, the majority of religious leaders will not be reached by the measure”he said.
And he added: “The government forgets that priestly support for its faithful takes place every day in temples, hospitals and prisons. The prebend they receive generally does not cover the costs of what they do. Generally, the donation of work for the benefit of the faithful is devoid of financial interests.”
UNDERSTAND
The exemption measure for religious leaders came into effect on August 1, 2022, during the former president's government Jair Bolsonaro (PL). Read the full act below.
The exemption was given two weeks before the start of the electoral campaign by the then Tax Secretary, Julio César Vieira Gomes. He was a civil servant at the agency and was fired after his involvement in the case of jewelry received by the former president as a gift from Saudi Arabia.
This Wednesday (January 17, 2024), the revocation was published on the GIVE (Official Diary of the Union). It is signed by the Tax Secretary, Robinson Barreirinhas. Here's the complete (PDF – 124 kB).
The Federal Revenue based the decision on a process from the Federal Court of Auditors about suspending the effectiveness of the rule.
TCU reacted. Informed through official note that the process that evaluates the effectiveness of the tax exemption for religious leaders is still under analysis and he denied having been responsible for the Tax Authority's decision that determined this change. Read an excerpt from the statement below:
“In relation to the information that the Federal Revenue of Brazil had suspended, by determination proposed by the Public Ministry with the TCU (MPTCU), the effectiveness of the Interpretative Declaratory Act RFB nº 1, of July 29, 2022, the Court of Auditors of The Union clarifies that the matter is the subject of analysis in process TC 018.933/2022-0, reported by Minister Aroldo Cedraz, with no decision yet from the TCU.”
Read the complete of the TCU statement (PDF – 103 kB).
The tax benefit was valid for the salary of “ministers of religious confession”, like pastors. The amounts paid by churches to religious leaders were not considered direct or indirect remuneration.
Here is the full act published by the Bolsonaro government:
#Sacerdophobia #leader #evangelical #bench #Tax #Authoritys #decision
