Government still considering whether to go to the Supreme Court over IOF, says AGU

247 - The Attorney General of the Union, Jorge Messias, declared this Thursday (26) that there is still no definition regarding a possible judicialization of the decision by the National Congress that revoked the presidential decree increasing the Tax on Financial Operations (IOF).

According to CNN BrazilMessias indicated that any position taken by the Attorney General's Office (AGU) will depend on a joint assessment with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. "Every lawyer needs to study the case before taking any action. You have to ask him [Haddad], he is responsible for his actions. I deal with this matter directly with the President of the Republic and I am awaiting this internal assessment," he stated.

The revocation of the decree by Congress caused unease within the federal government, and the Finance Minister, Fernando Haddad, stated this to the newspaper. FSP Taking the matter to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) is a possibility under consideration. "This is an issue that has been under internal evaluation for some time, but any decision regarding whether or not to take it to court rests exclusively with the Attorney General of the Union, in dialogue with the President of the Republic," Messias added.

Note from the Attorney General's Office - The Attorney General's Office (AGU) released a statement following Haddad's remarks. The institution denies that there is any government directive to appeal to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to maintain the increase in IOF tax rates. 

According to the Attorney General's Office (AGU), "no decision has been made" regarding the potential legal action on the matter. "All legal issues will be addressed technically by the AGU, after hearing from the economic team. Communication regarding any potential legal developments in the case will be made exclusively by the Attorney General himself [Jorge Messias], at the appropriate time," the text states.