Measures presented by the Brazilian government since last year have created a more favourable environment for entrepreneurship in Brazil, especially for micro and small enterprises. Initiatives such as the Growing Without Fear programme and the R$ 9+ billion in credit have had a positive influence on one of the country's top job sources.

According to the president of the Brazilian Service for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises (Sebrae), Guilherme Afif, the measures represent a "big step" towards creating a more favourable business environment for entrepreneurs. "And we are just on the cusp of introducing a new one that will make life even easier for entrepreneurs," he said during the opening ceremony of the GlobalEntrepreneurship Seminar.

Sanctioned in 2016, the Grow Without Fearl programme features a series of simplifications and better conditions for small businesses, such as doubling the maximum number of monhtly installments of tax debt settlement plans (from 60 to 120) and an increase in the maximum revenue bracket for inclusion in the Simples Nacional simplified tax regime so more companies can be included.

Advances

For Afif, these changes are necessary. Making the lives of entrepreneurs easier is key to the country's development. However, although much has already been done, like the regulation of outsourcing and the labour modernisation law, there is still much to accomplish.

This is also the opinion Gabriela Torquato, coordinator of mobilisation at Endeavor Brazil, an entrepreneurship promotion organisation. "It is fundamental that the government help reduce these obstacles to make the lives of entrepreneurs easier", she defended in an interview with Portal Planalto.

According to the businesswoman, the main challenges of Brazilian entrepreneurs are in the high volume of red tape involved and the complexity of the Brazilian tax system. "A lot is being done, but there is still a long way to go," she said.

The Brazilian government has been working to meet these demands. In partnership with Sebrae, it launched the Empreender Mais Simples ('Easier Enterprising') programme, which, among other points, reduces the time it takes to open a company. In addition, a special committee of the Chamber of Deputies is examining new rules to simplify the tax system.

Economic policy

Small businesses, major job creators in the countries, have also benefited by the changes in economic policy. According to Afif, the lower inflation and interest rates brought about by the new measures are particularly helpful to Brazilian entrepreneurs.

“In an instant, inflation went from 12% to just over 3% a year, which has benefited interest rates," he said. He classified this year as one of "recovery", and said that micro and small businesses are already creating more jobs. "[The recovery] is already producing results in the number of jobs being created by micro and small enterprises," he said.