Fiscal reform efforts continue to gather momentum across Brazil as state finance departments implement ambitious initiatives aimed at combating tax evasion, improving revenue reporting, and ensuring transparency. For example, the Secretaria da Fazenda do Piauí (Sefaz-PI) has launched the "Operação Receita Transparente," targeting the illegal practices associated with credit and debit card machines used by commercial establishments.
This operation, activated as part of the state's strategy to fight tax fraud, particularly focuses on bars, restaurants, and clothing stores. According to Sefaz-PI's latest reports, the operation uncovered irregularities linked to 55 devices tied to the CPF (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) and CNPJ (National Registry of Legal Entities) of third parties. These discrepancies have contributed to tax omittance nearing R$300 million over the past four years, resulting in losses of about R$40 million for the state treasury. Fines of up to R$4,520 were imposed on each irregular machine detected during recent inspections across 25 establishments.
Referring to the tax identification strategies, officials stated these actions would be escalated throughout 2025, with the operation already producing significant outcomes.
Alongside the Receita Transparente initiative, the Sefaz-PI has adopted the "Datafisco" platform, which utilizes advanced technology like Elastic Search to process millions of fiscal records swiftly. This innovation positions the finance department as a leader in technological advancements within Brazil's tax administration. It includes extensive training for the personnel involved and underlines the state's commitment to improving the efficiency of export audits, goods transit verification, and various tax audits.
Looking forward, Sefaz-PI plans to integrate machine learning techniques to predict tax risks and generate dynamic real-time reports, enhancing their operational responsiveness.
Evidence of potential recovery from fiscal discrepancies also emerges from the Sefaz-PI's audit operations, which corrected 73% of indentified tax inconsistencies spontaneously after leveraging data from taxpayer declarations combined with third-party data. The establishment of the "EFD Saídas Mínimas Esperadas" has identified 1,600 companies with notable discrepancies between reported purchases and sales. This proactive auditing method has prompted formal notifications to 442 taxpayers for declared revenue discrepancies, with potential recoveries estimated at R$84 million.
Another significant tax initiative arose from the Secretaria de Estado da Fazenda (Sefa) of Paraná, which reported the early execution of the Annual Budgetary Exercise for the year 2025, allowing state organs to begin expenditure processes much sooner than usual. This is the first time such early execution has occurred, as traditionally the budgetary exercise opens within the second half of January. State Secretary Norberto Ortigara emphasized, "Paraná does not have time to waste, and this early initiation demonstrates our commitment to efficiency and responsiveness to both institutions and the public."
The state budget for 2025, sanctioned by Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior, totals R$78.6 billion, marking the largest budget ever for the region, with over R$6.3 billion allocated for investments—an almost 60% increase over the previous year.
Efforts for fiscal responsibility and transparency are also highlighted by the implementation of the Integrated Budget Execution System (Siafic), initiated last year to streamline financial operations electronically. Secretary Ortigara highlighted the system’s positive impact on resource allocation and its emphasis on efficiency.
Down south, the Secretary of Finance for the state of Mato Grosso, Rogério Gallo, responded to criticisms over delayed salary payments for municipal employees, refuting claims of delayed ICMS and IPVA transfers by the state. Gallo asserted, "The disbursement schedule for state funds to municipalities has been strictly adhered to." His comments come after former Mayor Emanuel Pinheiro cited inadequate state revenue transfers as the cause of the delays. Gallo’s statement underlines the commitment to transparency, refuting any attempts to deflect accountability onto the finance department for local management failures.
He emphasized, "The population will feel the consequences of poor management for years, deeming the past administration of Cuiabá as simply inept." Gallo's resolute stance reinforces the importance of maintaining fiscal discipline and accountability from all layers of government.
On the enforcement side, state fiscal agents operating in Pará seized high-value goods, including agricultural drones and truck trailers, during inspections for tax compliance. These operations reflect the continuing effort to curb illegal activities and reinforce the importance of adhering to fiscal regulations. Through these recent actions, Pará's economy remains vigilant against tax irregularities, ensuring fair revenue for governmental operations.
Conclusively, Brazil's advancements toward improving fiscal governance and revenue reporting signal strong efforts across its regions to combat tax evasion and strengthen the accountability of public finances. With initiatives like Receita Transparente and the utilization of data-driven technology, states are making substantial progress toward achieving fiscal transparency and efficiency.