“The work of the Micro and Small Business Front is to fight for democracy,” says Décio Lima

Defending democracy and representing the more than 22 million small businesses across the country are the main objectives, according to Décio Lima, president of Sebrae, of the Joint Parliamentary Front of Micro and Small Enterprises (FPMPE) for the remainder of the legislative term. This Tuesday (26), in Brasília, the ceremony to hand over the presidency of the collegiate body, which has more than 180 federal deputies and senators, took place. For the next year, Federal Deputy Jorge Goetten (Republicanos-SC) will be the Front's president.

"We have a fundamental role to play: defending democracy in the National Congress. This front is essential. We can't imagine a small business without this space for debate and the exercise of democracy. The Front must defend small businesses at all times," emphasized Sebrae president Décio Lima.

In his speech, the president of Sebrae emphasized that the current economic situation, with the creation of more than 4.1 million new small businesses and the generation of more than 1.3 million jobs by the sector, reflects the trajectory that the federal government, the Parliamentary Front, and Sebrae have been paving in recent years. "This represents a decentralization of the Brazilian economy. These results represent the Brazilian entrepreneurial spirit and are reflected in Brazil's removal from the Hunger Map," he noted.

Present at the meeting, the Minister of Entrepreneurship, Microenterprise, and Small Businesses, Márcio França, stated that the government is considering income tax exemption for companies with net profits of up to R$5,000 per month. He also emphasized the role of small businesses in the economy and the need for representatives and senators to commit to defending the sector's interests.

"The future won't belong to large corporations. It will belong to small businesses when they understand their strength. Small entrepreneurs don't have access to Brasília, and you are the voices of these people," he said. "It's not agriculture that's keeping the country growing at 3%, it's small businesses," he added.

In turn, the new president of the Joint Parliamentary Front, Federal Representative Jorge Goetten (Republicanos-SC), highlighted the priority of his term on the committee. "I'm a Simples Nacional member and I own a snack bar in Rio do Sul, Santa Catarina. I know the pain points well. The sector contributes the most, employs the most. We need to move beyond rhetoric and get down to business. Let's do justice and adjust the revenue caps for these companies. This will contribute significantly to our economy," he argued.

The initiative was reinforced by Congressman Augusto Coutinho (Republicans-PE), who left the presidency of the FPMPE. "We live in the era of small businesses, which represent more than 96% of small businesses opened and 64% of jobs created. Our greatest work must be to create opportunities and better conditions so that our population can live with greater dignity," he concluded.

About the Parliamentary Front

With over 180 members, the FPMPE (Federal Parliamentary Workers' Party) is a forum for political debate in the National Congress. During the current legislature, the group, along with Sebrae, worked on issues such as tax reform and its regulation, defense of the Simples Nacional (National Simples), modernization of labor laws and their application to individual microentrepreneurs (MEI), and the granting of credit and financing through the Acredita Program, among other initiatives.