PEC 38/2025, which modifies public administration rules to improve governance and management, promote digital transformation, strengthen professionalization and eliminate privileges, serves the broader interests of the Brazilian population.
Currently being examined in the Chamber of Deputies, this question is a response to the desires of the productive sectors, of society, of Parliament and of the government itself, in search of greater productivity and reduction of costs.
It is urgent to review the structure of the state machine, the weight of which impacts all production chains, as is the case in the sector that I represent, telecommunications. Made up of more than 32,000 companies, it employs 2.1 million people and collects 50 billion reais in taxes each year. We are part of the large services sector, which represents 70% of the national GDP. The buzzword now is to cut spending more effectively, to escape the vicious cycle of tax increases, which greatly undermines our ability to invest, innovate and maintain jobs.
In the equation of the cost of the State, it is necessary to review the aspect relating to the structure of human resources, one of the main axes of PEC 38. We know that Brazil does not have an excessive number of civil servants, but it devotes much more to them than the vast majority of countries. Here, these expenses represent around 3.5% of GDP and, what is more serious, without the expected return in efficiency, quality and agility in the services provided to the population.
The public service is fundamental and must be valued, but there must be an employment and salary plan, an evaluation of professional performance and incentives for productivity. Furthermore, the possibility of dismissals when performance is not satisfactory is relevant. It is also necessary to readjust the financing of the three powers, reviewing high salaries, exaggerated extras and benefits, unnecessary travel and other non-priority expenses for those who pay taxes. Technological support, also provided for in PEC 38, is very important to improve the efficiency of the State.
It is absurd that, in a country where the tax burden on GDP amounts to 33.27%, above the Latin American average and almost at the same level as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the option of increasing taxes is adopted. The public sector consumes nearly 40% of our wealth. We need to look carefully at health, education and security. The emphasis is now on management.
We must face the problem of the cost of Brazil. It is therefore crucial to continue administrative reform, including performance evaluation, reduction of bureaucracy and intensive use of technology. We must review contracts, favor partnerships that bring efficiency, reduce non-priority expenditure and review the links with the minimum wage, the continuous payment allowance (BPC) and the impact of revenue on the health-education duo.
The state cannot spend more than it collects. In a world marked by the resurgence of protectionism and tariff wars between major economies, competitiveness is not built with more taxes, but with efficiency, legal certainty and stimulation of production. To achieve a more robust level of sustainable growth, we need a national investment rate of around 22% of GDP. Today, this indicator is around 17% and will continue to do so if the habit of overcharging companies continues.
This is why administrative reform, fortunately being implemented by the National Congress, is urgent and essential. In this context, PEC 38 constitutes progress towards the modernization of the State, the rationalization of its costs and the improvement of the services it provides to society. If improvements are needed in the text, it is time to revise it. Brazil needs it!
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