Brazil Cost and Misinformation by José Roberto Afonso published in the Globo newspaper (8/2021).
“Local distortions that increase the country’s costs, known as the Brazil cost, have gained a new component: the cost of misinformation. Among the worst of these is the immeasurable losses in health. But there are also missed opportunities in matters such as taxation. There are many people who express their opinions, even in newspapers, without being aware of the effects of the radical economic and social transformations brought by the digitalization and accelerated by the pandemic.
The proposal to reform the Income Tax, for example. It was redesigned along with the currency of the Real and was able to increase tax collection, facilitate tax returns, create a simple tax system (Simples, in Portuguese), and is an unusual case of a tax with no major disputes in the courts. However, the attempt of an electoral vote resulted in a project with no objective and a debate without empirical evidence…”
Custo Brasil e desinformação por José Roberto Afonso publicado no O Globo (08/2021).
“Distorções locais que tornam o país mais caro, conhecidas como custo Brasil, ganharam novo componente: o custo da desinformação. A pior conta passa pelas incomensuráveis perdas na saúde. Mas há também perdas de oportunidades em matérias como tributação. Muitos opinam, até nos jornais, sem compreender os efeitos das radicais transformações econômicas e sociais puxadas pela digitalização e aceleradas pela pandemia.”
