Understand what the PEC presented by the PT says about PIX national sovereignty
Leader of the PT (Workers' Party) in the Chamber, deputy Pedro Uczai (PT) presented last Wednesday (10) a PEC (Constitutional Amendment Proposal) to guarantee national sovereignty over payment systems operated by the Central Bank, such as PIX, recently cited by the United States as one of the reasons for the recommendation of 25% taxation on Brazilian imports.
"What belongs to the Brazilian people and was built to serve them cannot be negotiated at tables where commercial concessions are negotiated. Sovereignty is not a bargaining chip", stated Uczai in justifying the proposal.
The proposed text shields PIX from being the target of foreign sanctions: "payment systems established and operated by the Central Bank of Brazil will aim at national sovereignty, efficiency, universality and inclusion and may not suffer restrictions or limitations to their use resulting from treaties, agreements, unilateral sanctions or negotiations with foreign governments", says the sole paragraph presented in the PEC.
Still in its justification, the document considers the tool to be "public property". "It is a public asset, built with resources, knowledge and institutions from the country, in direct service to the interests of the community. [...] By elevating this protection to the constitutional level, it shields itself against temporary circumstances and external pressure, a heritage that today belongs to the entire Brazilian population", points out the document.
What the government says about US actions
Just yesterday (10), during a meeting of the Council for Social and Sustainable Economic Development, the Council, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) spoke against the tariffs announced by the US. "This last imputation of tax that they imposed on us, we do not have the right to accept out of dignity and respect for what we do here with Brazilian workers", stated Lula.
In Lula's meeting with his state ministers last week, the Planalto Palace displayed a big screen with the phrase "Pix is from Brazil". On the occasion, the president criticized the United States' "treatment" of Brazil.
"We are at a decisive moment for Brazilian society, and even part of world society, to recognize the strengthening of democracy in our country. We are very big, we have a lot of history and we cannot accept the treatment that the USA gave Brazil this week", said the president.
The Minister of Finance, Dário Durigan, stated, in an interview with UOL last Tuesday (9), that after new threats of tariffs the government will work to ensure that there is no general punishment for Brazil.
The most recent Genial/Quaest survey shows that 46% of Brazilians agree with Lula regarding the possibility of new tariffs being a form of retaliation for PIX.
At the same time, 36% agree with the position of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), who states that the new tariffs are a retaliation for Lula's statements against the USA.
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Source: CNN