Bureaucracy has traditionally been a constant presence in Brazilian life, taking its toll on both citizens and companies—who spend 1,958 hours a year dealing with red-tape related to the country’s tax system. With that in mind, Economy Minister Paulo Guedes has made reducing excessive bureaucracy a key priority for the government, in a bid to increase productivity and boost the country’s still-ailing economy.
The first steps in this direction have already been taken. In August, the federal government launched a new online portal gathering every website belonging to the administration on a single hub. So far, Gov.br—as the...