Senate approves project that prohibits union discounts on INSS pensions

The Senate approved this Wednesday the bill that prohibits the charging of monthly fees from unions, associations and retired entities directly on benefits paid by the INSS. The proposal, reported by senator Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), was approved in a symbolic vote and goes to presidential sanction.

The text determines that no discount can be made on the earnings of retirees and pensioners, even if there is express authorization from the beneficiary. The measure aims to curb a practice that, according to senators, opened gaps for fraud and contributed to the increase in complaints from elderly people about undue discounts.

The vote takes place at a time when Congress is also discussing the topic in the INSS CPI, created to investigate the scheme of illegal charges for social security benefits. The simultaneous advancement of the commission and the legislative proposal was treated in the plenary as an “institutional response” to a problem that affects millions of beneficiaries.

In addition to ending automatic transfers to class entities, the project also tightens the rules for payroll loans, requiring biometric authentication or qualified electronic signatures before any contracting. The definition of the interest ceiling on these loans is no longer the responsibility of the National Social Security Council and is now made by the National Monetary Council.

The proposal was approved without changes in relation to the text that came out of the Chamber, authored by deputy Murilo Galdino (Republicanos-PB). If sanctioned by President Lula, the new rule will come into force immediately, and the INSS will have to adopt an active search procedure to locate and compensate beneficiaries who received undue discounts.