The Chamber of Deputies approved this Tuesday (7) the project that requires the disclosure of values of components that influence fuel prices and that gives the status of law to norms already edited by the ANP (National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels). ).
The text was approved by 363 to 1 and will go to the Senate.
The urgent application was approved last Tuesday (31). The text is pointed out by the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), as one of the ways to contain the escalation of fuel prices.
The project, authored by deputy Reginaldo Lopes (PT-MG), brings a series of indicators that should be disclosed by companies with the intention of improving the transparency of fuel prices.
The rapporteur, Arnaldo Jardim (Cidadania-SP), modified some of these indicators. It provides for the disclosure of the average cost of production of oil and natural gas of national origin, cost of acquiring oil, billing, gross margin of fuel distribution and resale of automotive fuels, in addition to other components, such as freight and taxes.
This disclosure must be made monthly on the ANP website.
The information must be the responsibility of each company that operates in the oil and biofuel sector. In April 2022, Petrobras was responsible for 70% of Brazil’s oil and natural gas production, with 30% produced by other companies.
The text points out that failure to inform the ANP of the values of the fuel price components can generate a fine of R$ 5 thousand to R$ 1 million.
“The search for greater transparency in the composition of consumer prices of oil derivatives intended by the proposition is commendable because it will provide greater competition in the market and, consequently, lower prices for Brazilians”, said the rapporteur in the justification.
In the opinion, Arnaldo Jardim grants the status of law to rules issued by the ANP and extends to all fuel producers procedures that are already partially adopted by Petrobras.
The original project established that sales prices practiced by Petrobras for distributors and traders of oil derivatives in Brazil should take into account production and refining costs in national currency plus a markup cost difference between sales price and cost price), which will have a maximum percentage defined by the ANP. The rapporteur, however, withdrew the passage.
The Chamber also approved by 371 votes to 1 the urgency for the consideration of the complementary bill that excludes from the ICMS tax base the additional energy charged on the occasion of the yellow and red electricity tariff flags.
In the justification, the author, Senator Fabio Garcia (União Brasil-MT), argues that “it is not fair that the energy consumer, in addition to having to pay for the increase in the cost of generation as a result of unfavorable conditions and totally outside their control or guilt, has to disburse an even greater amount of resources to face the taxes levied on this additional portion.”
Since 2016, Petrobras has adopted the Import Parity Price (PPI) policy. As a result, oil prices follow the immediate change in prices per barrel on the international market.
As the price on the international market is in dollars, the currency quotation also influences the calculation.
The discussion of tools to reduce fuel has gained strength in recent days in the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government. Government officials point out that the issue is one of the major obstacles to the president’s re-election.
In second place in polls with less than four months to go before the elections, President Bolsonaro decided to react and announced a broad package of up to BRL 50 billion in measures to try to reduce fuel prices.
Three months after zeroing the PIS and Cofins rates, two federal taxes, on diesel and cooking gas until December 2022, Bolsonaro announced the expansion of the scope of the measure and will also exempt federal taxes on gasoline and ethanol. According to the president, the PIS/Cofins and Cide rates will be zeroed.
Pressured by the National Congress, the president also announced that the government is willing to reimburse states that agree to zero ICMS rates on diesel and cooking gas with resources from the Union by the end of the year.
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