Tax policy will have a participatory committee.

Minas Agency - The Government of the State of Minas Gerais took another important step this Friday (March 6th) towards promoting intense participation in state management. The new development is decree nº 46.722, of March 5th, 2015, published in today's edition of the Minas Gerais Official Gazette, through which Governor Fernando Pimentel established the Permanent Commission for the Review and Simplification of the Tax Legislation of the State of Minas Gerais.

The commission, created within the scope of the State Secretariats of Civil Affairs and Institutional Relations (Seccri) and Finance (SEF), emerges with the purpose of developing studies, proposals, and research to improve the legal and tax system of Minas Gerais. Among the objectives to be achieved in this action, the following stand out: guaranteeing the fair distribution of taxes, security, transparency, and practicality in the administration of taxes. The initiative also seeks the transformation of tax collection policy, fiscal harmonization, and the consolidation of a continuous environment of dialogue and transparency regarding the functioning of state taxes.

Discussions on tax issues

The group will be chaired, for the 2015-2016 biennium, by Misabel Derzi, a tenured professor of Financial and Tax Law at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), who brings with her, for example, the successful experience of leading the "Permanent Commission for the Simplification and Revision of Tax Legislation in Belo Horizonte," created in the capital during the period when Fernando Pimentel was mayor of BH.

At the time, Misabel recalls, the "team examined the relationships between the municipal administration and taxpayers and sought to improve the quality of these relationships." The year after the creation of that commission, through an analysis of the most important tax of the municipal administration – the Tax on Services of Any Nature (ISSQN) – suggestions were forwarded to the mayor, which resulted in a bill and the simplification of issues that were causing harm to the public interest.

According to the president, the work of the municipal commission was a complete success, even extending the topic to the Federal Senate in 2003 for discussion of tax issues. The commission's relevance and positive results are also reinforced by master's dissertations and doctoral theses that continue to study the initiative of the capital of Minas Gerais during Fernando Pimentel's administration.

Now, at the head of the Commission at the state level, Misabel sees an opportunity to make the tax issue an object of democratic and participatory construction, allowing for the development of studies, suggestions, and solutions to be evaluated by the governor. For progress in tax reform, the tax expert argues, every good evaluation project must start with integration. In this way, the technical staff, representatives of civil society, tax auditors, observers from the legislative branch, among other participants, must collaborate and act jointly in the tax foundation of Minas Gerais. "The formation of this commission is crucial," emphasizes Misabel.

Composition

The Commission, for the 2015-2016 biennium, has as permanent members the president, Misabel Derzi, the Secretary of State for Civil Affairs and Institutional Relations, Marco Antônio Rezende Teixeira, the Secretary of State for Finance, José Afonso Bicalho, and the Attorney General of the State, Onofre Alves Batista Júnior. They form the so-called Executive Board, which will be responsible for implementing the activities to be carried out. Another effective participant is the Secretary of State for Planning and Management, Helvécio Magalhães.

Three jurists or experts of recognized expertise, at the invitation of the other permanent members, will also be on the Commission to oversee the reporting of the work carried out. Furthermore, at the request of the members, external consultants, both national and international, academics, researchers, and specialists may be invited to serve as occasional collaborators.

Furthermore, the group is expected to include the following members: expert civil servants designated by the Commission's president; invited members representing the Legislative Assembly of the State of Minas Gerais (ALMG), the Court of Justice of the State of Minas Gerais (TJMG), the Court of Accounts of the State of Minas Gerais (TCE-MG), the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State of Minas Gerais (MPMG), the Brazilian Bar Association - Minas Gerais Section (OAB-MG), the Regional Accounting Council of Minas Gerais (CRCMG), the Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais (Fiemg), the Commercial and Business Association of Minas Gerais (ACMinas), the Taxpayer Defense Chamber, part of the State Taxpayer Defense System, and unions and other civil society entities.

It is worth noting that the members of the Commission are not paid and work on a voluntary basis. In addition to proposals and discussions, the Commission is committed to preparing an annual report of the studies conducted based on the state scenario, considering the economic and social effects of implementation. The document must be presented to the governor by March of the following year.