The text was voted on in the Chamber of Deputies. If approved, you can charge a refund for amounts overpaid on your electricity bill.

The Senate approved a bill that would allow consumers to pay off overpaid electricity bills. The measure could result in savings for Brazilians. Understand what the text says and how the proposal can bring relief to consumers.

The project went to the Chamber of Deputies and is ready for a vote this week. It will then go to President Jair Bolsonaro for sanction. It deals with the reimbursement of tax amounts paid in excess to electricity distributors.

Return of amounts overpaid on the electricity bill

According to the text, the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) must implement the allocation of credits from the PIS/Pasep programs and the contribution to social security financing (Cofins).

Taxes were charged and consumers asked who can now have the tariff reduction on their electricity bill. According to the project, the removal of ICMS from the PIS/Cofins calculation base in 2017, as determined by the Federal Court of Justice (STF), brought energy distributors a loan of R$ 50 billion.

Even so, the credit was not passed on to consumers, who continued to pay dearly for electricity services. According to the government, there is a residual value of R$ 42 billion that can be deducted from the electricity bill to reduce the amount to be paid by consumers.

In response, Aneel said that it is already studying a way to ensure that the amounts are returned. But the bill in the form of a law can provide more certainty in the decision.

According to the forecast, the return of amounts could result in savings of 17% if done in a single payment. Or if 5% if the amounts are paid in installments over the next few years. The text is also expected to be approved in the Chamber of Deputies.