Faced with the wave of fake news around the modernization of Pix inspection, the Federal Revenue revoked the normative act that extended monitoring from transactions to digital banks, fintechs and payment institutions. Instead, the government will issue a provisional measure (MP) to prohibit different charges for Pix and cash transactions.
The Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, and the special secretary of the Federal Revenue, Robinson Barreirinhas, recently announced the revocation of the normative instruction and the issuance of the provisional measure. The MP will also reinforce principles guaranteed by the Constitution in transactions via Pix, such as banking secrecy and the non-charge of taxes on transfers through the modality, in addition to guaranteeing that Pix is free for individuals.
“This revocation is for two reasons: to remove what has sadly become a weapon in the hands of these criminals and unscrupulous people. The second reason is not to harm the processing of the act that will be announced [a medida provisória]”, explained Barreirinhas.
With the edition of the MP, no merchant will be able to charge different prices between payments via Pix and cash, a practice that has started to be detected in recent days. For Haddad, the provisional measure will extinguish the wave of fake news in relation to Pix taxation, which has taken over social media since the beginning of the year.
“The provisional measure reinforces both principles and practically equates Pix to paying in cash. What does this mean? That these practices used today based on fake news Charging more than what is paid in Pix is prohibited. In other words, what you charge in cash can be charged in Pix. Anyone who wants to use Pix will have to pay the same amount in cash, without any surcharge”, said Haddad.
The minister reinforced that the provisional measure actually reinforces existing principles in relation to Pix, only clarifying points distorted by disseminators of fake news in the last few days.
“Pix will be protected by secrecy, as it always has been. [O que estamos fazendo] it is just the expansion, the reinforcement of the legislation, to make it clearer that these principles are already protected by the provisional measure. To avoid misinterpretation, the attempt to distort the intention of the Federal Revenue, it is taking the measure that Barreirinhas has already announced”, explained Haddad.
“All of this has a single objective: to safeguard the popular economy, to safeguard the finances of the poorest people, the small business owner and the housewife who goes to do her shopping, and to equate payment in Pix to payment in cash”, added the minister .
Haddad denied that the repeal of the act is the recognition of defeat for the fake news. “On the contrary. This is to prevent this act [a instrução normativa] be used as a justification for not voting for the MP. We are launching a provisional measure and we want it to be discussed soberly by the National Congress”, he explained.
