Bolsonaro announces MP to help the events sector and makes refunds and cancellations more flexible

President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) announced this Monday (21) that he had edited a provisional measure (MP) to help the events sector that makes the conditions for reimbursement to consumers for events, services or reservations that are canceled or postponed due to of the pandemic.

“Para continuar atenuando os efeitos das políticas de lockdown, toque de recolher e fechamento do comércio adotadas por muitos governadores, assinei hoje Medida Provisória para atenuar os prejuízos dos setores de turismo e de cultura”, disse Bolsonaro, em uma publicação no Twitter.

Such as sheet showed at the beginning of February, the government was preparing the reissue of the measure, published for the first time still in 2020. Faced with the first impacts of the effects of Covid-19, the flexibility rules became valid until December 31.

The events sector was one of the hardest hit by the health crisis and had been demanding more suitable conditions for the pandemic, which is still continuing.

“The objectives are: to avoid the closure of companies and loss of jobs; to protect and promote legal security in consumer relations; and to contribute to the resumption of the tourism, events and culture sector in the country”, said the president. The measure should be published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday (22).

To his telephone contacts, the Minister of Tourism, Gilson Machado, distributed a comment in which he says that the MP will allow consumers to reschedule or obtain credit for postponements in 2022, being able to reschedule until December 2023.

According to the minister, the government’s text also exempts artists, speakers and other professionals, hired for events, such as concerts, canceled until December 31 of this year, from immediately reimbursing the consumer.

The condition is that the event be rescheduled until December 31, 2023.

“In addition to canceling, also, the fines for canceling contracts with artists, speakers and other professionals, in relation to events canceled also in 2022”, says Machado’s comment.

In addition to the provisional measure, the government also maintains the strategy of overturning a veto by the president himself to relieve companies in the event sector, such as sheet anticipated. The green light is for parliamentarians to override the veto and exempt companies in the sector from paying taxes for five years.

The movement had a decisive participation by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), son of the Chief Executive. On January 25, he published a video on social media in which he says that the order to override the veto came from the president himself.