Imagine living in a Brazil where there are no more cash bills and all financial transactions happen only by digital means. Sound Unlikely? Yes, but that's exactly what the House of Representatives plans to discuss on Tuesday, 11, at the Consumer Protection Commission.
This is Bill 48/2015, proposed by Representative Reginaldo Lopes, of the PT-MG. The PL is simple and straightforward: to extinguish and prohibit the circulation of banknotes, which could be kept only for historical records. To compensate, banks and credit companies could not charge a percentage in debit transactions.
Among the justifications presented in the bill, the deputy alleges that this is a worldwide trend with the advancement of technology. It also presents arguments that digital transactions are safer than physical money. "We would eliminate practices of crimes such as bank robberies, bank robberies, gasoline robberies, kidnappings, bank robberies and violence in general," the text said.
Another motive listed in the text of the bill is that "terrorists, evacuees, money launderers, drug cartels, robbers, corrupt would be in the sights of easy financial control," as well as eliminating expenses with currency issuance.
For the time being, PL 48/2015 is only under discussion in the House, with no prospect of being voted in order to enter into force. The Consumer Defense Committee only scheduled a debate for Tuesday, 14h30, with the participation of figures such as Henrique Meirelles, Minister of Finance and Ilan Goldfajn, president of the Central Bank.