A redução da base de cálculo do ICMS

Abstract

The tax levied on sales and services ICMS set forth in article 155, paragraph 2, of the Brazilian Federal Constitution is one of the most relevant taxes in Brazil on account of its high collection power. Such tax contemplates some matters subject to application; however, the common core of all of such matters is the principle of noncumulativeness, which authorizes taxpayers to use the credit of the ICMS levied on a preceding transaction in order to offset such tax in the subsequent phase. As it is a compulsory and self-applicable rule, such concept is a true guarantee of the parties against tax imposition. Nevertheless, there are exceptions. Pursuant to the Brazilian Federal Constitution, transactions which are exempt or are not subject (immune) to ICMS do not generate credit subject to offset in the following phase, and also annul the credit upon entry. The major debate lies in the fact that the reduction of the ICMS tax basis has to belong to the kind of tax exemption in order to cause the annulment of the credit upon entry. There are no doubts that it does not apply to this doctrine because in this doctrine there is no obligation of payment of the tax, whereas in that doctrine, there is such obligation. Then, what can be concluded is that there are different ways to grant tax benefits: in one way, the tax obligation remains, and this includes a reduction in the tax basis; in the other way, the tax obligation does not remain, which is an event of tax exemption. Therefore, the recent decision from the Federal Supreme Court is not lawful from a scientific standpoint inasmuch as it accepted the reduction in the tax basis as a kind of partial exemption, thereby creating a new constitutional exception to the principle of non-cumulativeness of the ICMS and violating the principle of Legal Security