Senate's excessive salaries will be cut this month.
More than 460 civil servants who were receiving salaries above the constitutional ceiling – R$ 28 – will have their pay cut; the decision, which had already been announced by the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL), was formalized today during a meeting of the Board of Directors; "The TCU's decisions were implemented immediately. They will be valid in the next payroll," said Renan.
Carolina Gonçalves
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia – More than 460 Senate employees who were receiving salaries above the constitutional ceiling – R$ 28 – will have their pay cut this month. The decision, which had already been announced by the Senate president, Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL), was formalized today (10) during a meeting of the Board of Directors. "The TCU's decisions were implemented immediately. They will be valid in the next payroll," said Renan.
The measure complies with the determination of the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), which, at the end of September, requested the suspension of salary payments exceeding the constitutional ceiling of R$ 28 paid to some employees of the House. As they stood, the salaries exceeded the remuneration of the ministers of the Supreme Federal Court.
Renan Calheiros also said that civil servants will begin to return the amounts they received in excess over the last five years – another determination of the TCU (Federal Court of Accounts). "When I say 'implement the decision,' it means implementing all items, including this one," he added.
According to the court's calculations, the repayment would amount to almost R$ 200 million. Even with Renan Calheiros' announcement, the Board of Directors has not yet ratified the repayment, which could still be reversed depending on the outcome of an appeal filed by the employees with the TCU itself. "Everything indicates that the decision will be favorable to the employees," assessed Flexa Ribeiro (PSDB-PA).
The rapporteur for the matter at the TCU (Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts), Minister Raimundo Carreiro, indicated that Ribeiro's prediction may come true. According to Carreiro, since the excess amounts were received in good faith, they would therefore not need to be returned.
Renan Calheiros confirmed that senators will have to return the R$ 5 million transferred by the Senate to the Federal Revenue Service to pay off income tax debt owed by parliamentarians on their fourteenth and fifteenth salaries between 2007 and 2011. The Federal Revenue Service sent a demand for payment of the taxes due in August, and the Board of Directors decided, on the 25th of last month, to assume responsibility for settling the debt.
"Some senators collected the money directly. Others had it provisioned by the Senate. The Senate will indeed request its return," he assured.
Edition: Adjutant Grace