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well below the worldwide average.
In 2008, the world consumed 61.8
kilos/year per inhabitant, while in
Brazil, the average consumption per
capita amounted to only 45 kilos/
year per inhabitant, a relatively big
difference that proves that the paper
industry has a lot of room to grow
in the country still. Results show a
market that has continuously grown
over the past years, having expanded
5% from 2007 to 2008.
O Papel – What are the sector’s
primary demands
Elizabeth – Less tax and more
lines of credit are fundamental at this
critical period in the global economy.
Another point of utmost importance
is to reduce taxes on production and
investment.
O Papel – Bracelpa also defends
waiving ICMS credits on exports and
creating a special regime that halts the
generating of these credits for future
exports. How is this being worked and
what are the specific demands of the
sector regarding this matter
Elizabeth – Without a doubt, the
main demand is to interrupt this regime
of generating credits. Experience has
shown us how prejudicial this measure
has been for the sector, which currently
accumulates more than R$ 600 million
in credits that have not been offset.
Another action is to seek alternatives
for being reimbursed this amount. Such
initiative would provide the sector some
breathing room, especially in this time
of crisis.
O Papel – How has the sector
pursued new credits for investments
and business that focus on exports Is
access to capital more difficult in times
of crisis
Elizabeth – Absolutely. Credit is
the sector’s greatest demand right now
and the cost of money is abusively high
and difficult to obtain from international
banks. Bracelpa is negotiating with
the federal government an increase in
lines of credit for export shipments. This
is crucial for a capital intensive sector
that demands a lot of credit, be it for
investing or exporting.
O Papel – What is the sector’s
current demand for credit
Elizabeth – The sector’s monthly
export average in 2008 was US$ 500
million. The current demand for credit
aims to maintain this same level.
O Papel – One of the most heated
discussions in the sector refers to the
entry of tax immune papers in Brazil.
Bracelpa has denounced the entry of illegal
paper on several occasions. Does
the entity have an estimate of how much
tax-exempt paper is deviated to other
types of applications
Elizabeth – Until September
of last year we registered the entry
of 473 thousand tons of paper that
went to other types of application that
were not related to editorial or educational
uses. The main port of entry
for these products has been through
imports. What Bracelpa expects from
the state and federal governments
are more timely supervision actions,
particularly at this moment of global
economic crisis and at a time when
the international market is in search
of buyers. If our entrance gates are
not well supervised and protected,
we’ll become an easy target for receiving
foreign products.
O Papel – How does the Association
believe it can change the reality of
this problem
Elizabeth – The first step was
taken towards the end of 2008 upon
publication of Provisional Measure
451, dated December 15, 2008. This
is a major achievement for the sector,
for it creates more demanding conditions
for restricting and qualifying
the number of companies that can
make use of this legislation benefit.
Bracelpa is now betting on the publication
of a Normative Instruction
that will outline the true parameters
for utilizing tax-exempt papers. With
this, we hope to stop this paper from
being used improperly and cater only
to companies that make correct use of
this immunity.
O Papel – Some companies depend
on paper and wastepaper to produce
recycled material and allege that
they suffer double taxation, since they
pay taxes included in the paper they are
going to recycle and, after production,
pay taxes again. Is Bracelpa doing anything
to minimize this disparity
Elizabeth – Several proposals
are going through Congress regarding
recycled paper and, sooner or later, this
product will be reviewed from a fiscal
perspective. The dual taxation principle
is a subject matter that deserves to be
analyzed and is now beginning to be
discussed with the government.
O Papel – The government also
announced it is going to require a
greater percentage of recycled paper
in its purchases, like certain governments
in Europe already do. What is
Bracelpa’s view on this procedure
Elizabeth – One of the key
things Bracelpa defends is the importance
of ABNT’s (Brazilian Association
of Technical Standards) work
aimed at standardizing the segment.
Creating a framework for this subject
matter will certainly allow planning
effective actions that focus on the
sustainable recycling of paper. Among
Congress members, the main effort is
make interested parts to understand
the nature of the recycling activity
and grounds for the viability, or not,
of legislative proposals in this area.
However, we consider the State’s
interference inadequate in any recommendation
that favors the use of this
or that product. We are in a free market
and any legislation in this sense
would end up interfering in a free
market and consumption options.
O PAPEL - Fevereiro 2009
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