The Senate’s Internal Rules establish that bills approved conclusively by committees may be taken to the floor if 10% of senators request it. With the deadline approaching for Bill 5,473/2025 to be forwarded to the Chamber of Deputies, PL leader Carlos Portinho gathered enough signatures to bring the matter to a full floor discussion.
His request was submitted to the Senate’s Executive Board, overturning the conclusive approval in the Economic Affairs Committee. In the request, Carlos Portinho stated that “the bill carries significant fiscal, social, and tax-equity relevance,” and for that reason should be examined by all senators.
In his justification, Portinho also argued that the “high number of proposed amendments — 185 in total, many of them filed the day before or on the day of deliberation — highlights the need for a broader and more careful assessment of the issue.”
The decision to take the bill — which raises the taxation of betting companies to 15% in 2026 and 2027 and to 18% starting in 2028 — to the Senate floor marks a defeat for the Lula administration, which had hoped the text would go directly to the Chamber of Deputies to expedite approval. With the bill now headed to the full Senate, government leaders will have to negotiate each vote with senators, many of whom are reluctant to back a tax increase, especially with elections coming up next year.
Since the Executive Board accepted Portinho’s request, the bill must be placed on the Senate floor’s agenda, with the date to be determined by Senate President Davi Alcolumbre. According to the schedule, only two plenary sessions remain before the parliamentary recess, meaning the bill may only be voted on next year.
Source: GMB
