A study by Unafisco Nacional shows that workers with incomes up to the minimum wage would pay income tax again. According to the entity, which represents tax auditors of the Federal Revenue Service, the recent correction of the minimum wage directly affected the range of income that was previously considered exempt.
According to Mauro Silva, president of Unafisco Nacional, the 10.16% increase in 2024 has increased the earnings of those who received up to two minimum wages last year (R$2,640), now reaching R$2,824.
Since the government has not corrected the exemption table, this part of the population is taxed again, collecting R$13.80 in tax every month.
“It's ridiculous, to say the least,” Silva says. “The government has promoted the idea of an exemption for those who earn up to two minimum wages, but this is not true. This part will now collect R$13.80 in tax every month,” he confirms.
Retirees and retirees
The entity notes that the delay also affects National Institute of Social Security pensioners and pensioners, with a 10.16% adjustment in 2024. “The government penalizes those who earn less. It is necessary to correct the IRPF table to reflect the reality of inflation,” Silva adds.
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Last year, the government reinstated a policy of increasing the minimum wage, an election promise and one of the hallmarks of Labor governments. With the return of this policy, the national floor will see a real increase, and will only be corrected by inflation. On the other hand, without increasing the scope of exemption in the income tax schedule, those who earn the minimum wage end up returning money to the government itself.
Correcting the schedule is also a campaign promise by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He has already taken the oath and even announced that he intends to increase the exemption to R $ 5,000. But budget constraints prevented this from being achieved in 2023. Finance Minister Fernando Haddad promised to send, in the first half of the year, an income tax reform that includes the scope of the exemption.
