Josué Gomes says the US will "pay dearly" for the tariff war and defends "the manufacturing industry as the engine" of growth.
The president of Fiesp praised the Brazilian development system and called for a lower reference rate in the tax reform.
247 - During his participation in the Development Forum, promoted this Wednesday (6) by the Brazilian Development Association (ABDE), the president of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp), Josué Gomes da Silva, highlighted the strategic importance of the reindustrialization of Brazil, criticized the protectionist stance of the United States and defended adjustments to the tax reform currently under consideration.
Right at the beginning of his speech, Josué expressed optimism regarding the tax reform, although he warned of the need for a lower reference rate than the currently projected 28%. "Despite the exceptions, we are confident in the benefits that will be generated by modernizing the tax system," he stated.
Defense of the national development system - The head of Fiesp (Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo) made a strong defense of financing instruments for the productive sector, especially public banks. "They tried to end this, but thanks to the Brazilian development system and its fundamental role, our industry is able to compete globally. This development system is the envy of the whole world, and we must continue to strengthen it to help national development," he declared.
Josué also mentioned Fiesp's efforts in partnership with Sebrae aimed at small industries with revenues of up to R$ 8 million. According to him, this collaboration enables more accessible financing rates through BNDES and Desenvolve SP. “We offer much lower capital costs than in the capital market. In the digitalization journey alone, we reached 20 companies. For sustainability, we have the same goal.”
Criticism of the United States and a focus on green industrialization. In addressing the current global dispute for industrial and technological leadership, Josué criticized the recent strategy of the United States, which includes imposing tariffs and cutting investments in innovation. “Without industry there is no development. The West is discovering this, and now it is trying to recover it by imposing tariffs and cutting funds for innovation. This will be costly [for the US],” he warned.
Contrary to this model, he stated, Brazil is betting on reindustrialization combined with innovation, digitalization, and sustainability. "We have been supporting innovative, digital, and decarbonized reindustrialization."
According to Josué, it is the manufacturing industry that has the capacity to generate growth and social inclusion. “This way we can have the manufacturing industry as the engine, which is what placed Brazil among the countries with the highest growth in the world. We have turned our attention to the manufacturing industry. If we maintain this policy, we can also solve our social problems and develop.”
Green digitization and data sovereignty - Finally, Josué proposed that Brazil attract data processing operations from other countries, especially the United States, taking advantage of the national energy potential. “This is a win-win opportunity for Brazil. The US lacks energy. Brazil has green digitization to offer. We have competitive and abundant energy, and green energy. Our energy is one of the cheapest in the world and eminently renewable, not to mention the still unexplored potential of renewable sources.”
