Ministers Sérgio Sá Leitão (MinC) and Valter Casimiro (MTPA) discussed the regulation of the concept of civic-cultural activity. Photo: Clara Angeleas (Ascom/MinC) / Reproduction / Publicity

This Wednesday's Official Gazette (21/11) published a resolution by Conac (Civil Aviation Council) that promises to simplify the scenario of charging airport fees on works of art.

Items stored at international airports, if charged at market value, can cost thousands of reais. Therefore, as of today, the charge will be made based on the weight of the work.

The decision encourages cultural promotion in the country. The Minister of Culture, Sérgio Sá Leitão, in note released by the Ministry of Culture, emphasizes that charging for the market value of the works would make it impossible to hold exhibitions and musical concerts with collections coming from abroad – and suggests that the measure guarantees legal stability.

The rate

A note  demonstrates that the impasse regarding the change in the collection of storage fees for cultural items started at the end of 2017. At the time, the attempt to change was made referring to the instruments of the National Orchestra of the Conservatory of Toulouse, which performed at the Teatro Artistic Culture, in São Paulo.

At the beginning of this year, part of the airports started to use a reinterpretation of the term “civic-cultural”, applied by Anac in 1983. São Paulo International Airport, for example, argued that the SP-Arte fair was not “ patriotic.”

Reaction of the museum community and Conac resolution

Work by Leon Ferrari / Publicity Nara Roesler

The museum community and gallery owners took a position against the measure and claimed that the increase in costs brought about by the measure would harm the Brazilian cultural scene. An example of this is the work of the Argentine León Ferrari. Brought by Galeria Nara Roesler to SP-Arte, his work was priced at R$17. If the taxation by weight had been respected, the value would have been R$ 200.

In general, the billing modality raised some values ​​by even more than 900%. During the period, institutions such as the São Paulo Museum of Arts (MASP) and the São Paulo Art Biennial appealed to the courts in order to continue their exhibitions and avoid charging abusive fees. The tax on the value of goods could also hinder fairs such as SP-Arte, ArtRio, in addition to the receipt of foreign works by national galleries.

The new resolution is the result of the joint efforts of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Transport.

 


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