Durigan defends Revenue as a State intelligence platform

The Federal Revenue must be seen above all as a strategic tool of the Brazilian State, and not just as a collection and inspection body. According to the Minister of Finance, Dario Durigan, the large volume of information gathered by the Tax Authorities can guide public policies, improve control mechanisms and increase the efficiency of state action.

Durigan participated, this Wednesday (14), in the opening of the 4th Congress of Tax and Customs Law.

“I see the IRS as an intelligence platform for the Brazilian State, more than a mere body that has to collect taxes.”

The minister's assessment is based on four fronts related to Revenue, highlighted in his speech:

acting as critical infrastructure of the State;

use of data to support public policies;

modernization of supervision through the analysis of aggregated information;

incorporation of artificial intelligence.

"The Revenue needs to contribute more to the design of public policies", he added.

According to him, the information produced by the body can assist the Executive, Legislative, Judiciary and control bodies in decision-making.

Inspection

The minister defended a paradigm shift, with greater use of data to identify patterns and anomalies. As an example, he cited the joint work of the Revenue with the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), when monitoring the effects of fuel exemptions.

"The inspection we are asking for is an inspection that looks at aggregate data", he stated, highlighting, in this context, the potential of artificial intelligence.

According to him, the volume of data that will be shared between the Union, states and municipalities, with the implementation of the tax reform, will significantly expand the Revenue's analytical capacity.

Hidden Carbon

As an example of the possibilities opened up by this model, the minister cited Operation Hidden Carbon, an investigation that investigates money laundering structures used to hide the real controllers of companies linked to the fuel sector, including the acquisition of one of the largest distributors in the country.

In one of the phases of the operation, movements of around R$11 billion were identified through different layers of the investigated structure.

The investigation revealed the use of fintechs and at least 40 investment funds to hide assets and shield resources, making it difficult to identify the real controllers of the assets and the origin of the money used in the operations.

Methodology

More than the results of the operation, Durigan highlighted the method used. For him, the analysis of large databases makes it possible to identify structures that deviate from common market standards and direct investigations more efficiently.

Durigan also mentioned, based on a presentation made by the Revenue team, structures associated with Reag and Banco Master as examples of cases that drew attention because they presented atypical characteristics.

For the minister, the combination of data analysis, information integration and artificial intelligence can expand the State's capacity to formulate public policies and improve supervision.