By Felipe Beraldi
The tax reform has been approved! However, this is a change that goes beyond simply altering the tax burden. For Brazilian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), what lies ahead is a profound transformation in business logic – and ignoring this scenario will generate operational and strategic costs.
The new legislation reshapes the taxation of goods and services, alters the relationship between suppliers and customers, and severely pressures cash flow. The new environment demands a level of financial and tax organization that is still lacking in a large percentage of SMEs.
Tax credits become the new strategic pillar. Under the logic of VAT (Value Added Tax), a competitor with greater efficiency in generating credits throughout the production chain will be able to maintain healthier margins and more competitive prices. Pricing ceases to be an isolated calculation and begins to demand a meticulous tax analysis of the supply chain and the market. Decisions based on the scenario prior to 2025 will lose validity, eroding the margins of companies that do not adapt in time.
Business relationships will also be reorganized. Companies opting for the Simples Nacional (Simplified National Tax Regime) will not generate full tax credits for their buyers under the standard regime. As a consequence, larger clients, focused on maximizing their own credits, tend to pressure smaller partners to migrate to the common regime (Presumed Profit or Real Profit). This chain reaction, initiated in large corporations, will reach micro and small businesses, directly impacting their cost structure and competitiveness.
Split payment, with tests planned for 2027, represents the most significant operational change. In the settlement of transactions via card or Pix (Brazil's instant payment system), the tax will be automatically directed to the tax authorities, leaving the company with only the net value of the sale. With a reference rate close to 28%, a substantial portion of gross revenue will no longer pass through the cash flow of companies that do not have credits to deduct. Without an extremely well-structured cash flow, the alternative will be to take out bank loans for working capital, increasing the risk of insolvency at market interest rates. .
The new model accelerates the end of tax informality. The system will be fully integrated with financial transactions: CNPJ (Brazilian company tax ID) transactions without the corresponding tax document will be reported to the Federal Revenue Service. The government invested R$1.6 billion in a technological infrastructure that is already operational. Operations that currently depend on tax evasion to sustain margins will lose any viability.
In this context, the use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems ceases to be a competitive advantage and becomes a survival requirement. The Omie Survey of the Accounting Sector indicates that between 60% and 70% of Brazilian SMEs still operate without adequate systems. With the tax authorities using high technology, this digital lag will hinder compliance with obligations, cash flow control, and decision-making. The survey points to another important bottleneck: 7% of accountants do not use the reform as a service differentiator. This gap in specialized guidance harms both accounting firms and companies dependent on this support during the transition.
The timeline is tight. In 2026, we will have the test rates. In 2027, federal taxes will be transformed into the CBS (Contribution on Goods and Services) and split payment will begin to be tested. Subsequently, the IBS (Integrated Tax System) will replace the ICMS (Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services) and the ISS (Tax on Services), with collection migrating from origin to destination, altering the logistics logic and tax benefits.
Tax reform is not a matter confined to the tax department; it is a critical issue of corporate governance. The deadline for preparation is approaching, and the window of opportunity for strategic planning is now.
*Felipe Beraldi, economist at Omie
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
