Coronavirus

Individual tax registrations outnumber people in Brazil

When the government created the coronavirus emergency salary for vulnerable populations — a BRL 600 three-month stipend — one of the conditions for eligibility was having a CPF, that is, an individual tax number. After millions ran to get their tax ID, the number of registrations actually tops Brazil’s population figures by 12.5 million individuals.

In May, the Federal Revenue Service loosened rules to rectify outdated registrations at branches of federally-owned bank Caixa. The measure was deemed necessary to prevent the exclusion of millions who required the monthly aid.

According to the revenue authority’s database, there are 223.8 million Brazilians with active CPFs, against Brazil’s estimated population of 211.4 million, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.


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Gustavo Ribeiro

An award-winning journalist, Gustavo has extensive experience covering Brazilian politics and international affairs. He has been featured across Brazilian and French media outlets and founded The Brazilian Report in 2017. He holds a master’s degree in Political Science and Latin American studies from Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris.

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