The bill that reaches the consumer's home residence is not clear

The Brazilian has no idea of who pays the bill. Although the volume of kilowatt hours consumed and the taxes are itemized on your invoice values, utilities do not show, in particular, where does the money charged to the customer. By law, consumers across the country gather each, a fortune in fees to cover bottlenecks and inefficiencies in service delivery, especially in more remote locations nationwide. This black box hides aberrations such as those imposed in December 2009, the requirement that each user with the default arch of state and municipal organs of the interior of Acre and Rondonia in the hiring of electricity.

The goodness of the two Amazonian states, established by the government, came to life in the law that regulated the provision of energy services in so-called "isolated systems", especially in the Northern Region. To fund the production of thermal generating fuel oil and ensure electricity to the inhabitants of remote areas, every Brazilian was forced, for years, pay a few dollars in energy bills. But without fanfare, the recent connection of Acre and Rondônia to the interconnected system of the country has doubled the subsidy to offset losses "if any" of the two states with the Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services (ICMS), which ceased to be collected on the input of heat and ice to the local public administration.

In the energy bill, the cost does not appear. Are diluted in "sector charges" listed in the invoice issued by the distributor. An average consumer of Companhia Energetica de Brasilia (CEB Distribution), for example, who spent £ 493 200 per kWh this month, has earmarked U.S. $ 1.79 for compensating the decisions of the federal government less than transparent and the National Congress in favor of Acre and Rondônia. The money goes to the Fuel Consumption Account (CCC), one of the mysteries of the black box that raised in 2009, R $ 2.72 billion. Besides the account, the same example of brasiliense paid unwittingly by other obscure charges, such as R $ 2.44 for the universalization of the electric system, £ 1.39 for the development of alternative sources and $ 0.59 for avoid blackouts in the country (see opposite).

Taxes

The amount paid for electricity is in fact less than half the bill, something close to R $ 87.19, once considered buying the product for distribution and transmission between the plant and the customer's home. The greatest weight is on account of taxes, such as ICMS, PIS, Cofins and Income Tax - this indirect charge and not broken in the making. Together, they represent R $ 92, or 46% of what is paid in one month, the account of $ 200. Expressive, the plot is not felt just by the user. He can not see, for example, as is taxed cumulatively in the generation, transmission and distribution of energy it consumes.

Not only is the high tax burden (1), consumers who consume more pay for the poor. New Social Tariff Act passed in January, which benefits the classes discredited, not yet true for the CEB due to lack of regulation. Today, the company works with a system of graded discounts for full duty until the limit of 80 kilowatt hours month. With the change, will be entitled anyone earning less. The fix did not, however, a new distortion: by law, every consumer will pay for 100% discount to the maroon and indigenous communities who consume 50 kilowatt hours per month.

1 - No solution
The taxes levied on the bill were criticized by the Minister of Finance, Guido Mantega, on Friday. "We can not continue with an energy more expensive in the world," he told a group of businessmen. But, as always, the minister saw no problems from the federal government. Assigned the responsibility to state governments, which do not support reducing the rate of GST.

»Vision Specialist
Freedom is a solution

The transparency is missing in the Brazilian electric sector. But if consumers had the power of choice, the space for the distortions in the bill would not be so great, evaluates Paulo Pedrosa, president of Abraceel, an organization that represents large users are free to buy energy from different vendors. The residential consumer of the Federal District can only be a customer of Companhia Energetica de Brasilia (CEB Distribution). The option of hiring the services of any other distributor, as occurs in telephony, simply does not exist.

"We need to evolve for European and American, where you can choose and buy online. It is a worldwide trend, "said Pedrosa. If this system worth to Brazil, any client, even the residential, would choose the fare and pay packages appropriate to their consumption profile. In the model of Pedrosa, Brasília, for example, would buy power from any other distributor in the country. The CEB would make the delivery for a fee. In contrast, sell to other consumers in the country. The competition at this level would prevent the imbalances. But to become reality, would require changes that seem to excite neither government nor business.

Source: Post Braziliense - Márcio Pacelli