Entities pressure Lula and Congress against excessive salaries
Seven civil society organizations released a manifesto requesting President Lula and the National Congress to approve national rules to combat excessive salaries in the public service. Data compiled by the organizations show that the country paid at least R$24.3 billion above the constitutional ceiling in 2025, benefiting about 67,300 public servants.
A group of seven civil society organizations released this week a manifesto addressed to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Congresso Nacional asking for the approval of national rules to combat so-called super-wages in public service. The document is signed by Instituto República, Associação Fiquem Sabendo, Livres, CLP – Centro de Liderança Pública, Transparência Brasil, Movimento Pessoas à Frente e Transparência Internacional Brasil.
According to data compiled by the entities, the country paid at least R$ 24.3 billion above the ceiling in 2025, currently set at R$ 46,366.19, contemplating about 67,300 servers concentrated, mainly, in the Judiciary. “It is unacceptable to maintain payments above the ceiling in such a context of budget constraint,” the statement said.
Manifesto points to lack of uniform rules
The organizations point out that the lack of uniform national rules generates a "cascade dynamic", in which careers with greater pressure power obtain advantages that end up being replicated by other categories without any planning or isonomy criteria. “The confidence in 99% of servers, who perform their functions within the ceiling, has been eroded by privileges that benefit a small minority of 1.34%,” they said.
The manifesto highlights that the absence of clear national legislation allows for divergent interpretations on which installments may or may not exceed the constitutional limit, creating distortions and increasing pressure on public accounts.
Legislative proposals in progress
In Congress, two proposals seek to regulate the issue. Authored by Mr Lindbergh Farias (PT-RJ), PL 3.401/2025 deals with the Tabata proposal and regulates the application of the maximum remuneration limit at a national level. The text defines a list of parcels excluded from the ceiling, setting percentage limits above the constitutional limit for each — such as food aid (up to 3%), health plan reimbursement (up to 5%), childcare aid (up to 3%), transport aid (up to 3%) and daily.
It also provides for the exclusion of additional holidays, sale of premium leave, stay allowance and gratifications for accumulation of collection or jurisdiction in the Judiciary and Public Prosecutor’s Office (limited to 1/3 of the ceiling). The entities advocate the approval of this legislation as a way to stop the bleeding in public vaults.
Detailed claims of organizations
The manifesto lists a series of measures that they consider essential to moralize remuneration in the public sector. Among them, there are: “The approval of national legislation that establishes clear, objective and restrictive criteria for the classification of remuneration and indemnification funds; the characterization of indemnification funds exclusively as those of a reparatory nature, of an eventual, individual and transitory nature, provided for in national law and subject to a pre-established limit by period”; the submission of all amounts to the constitutional ceiling.
The organizations also call for “the correct incidence of Income Tax on incomes that configure patrimonial additions; the creation of robust mechanisms of transparency and standardization of remuneration information; the prohibition of the creation of benefits by administrative act, including resolutions of higher councils, requiring express legal provision for any additional”.
Control and accountability
Another central point of the manifesto is the need for “strict limitation and regulation of retroactive payments, with objective criteria, defined time frames, and budgetary impact analysis; in addition to rigorous audit on already authorized payments.” The entities also defend “the functional and administrative accountability for acts that authorize payments above the ceiling without protection in law in the strict sense”.
Finally, the document calls for “the establishment of criteria for governance, control and operationalization of succumbance fees, which must be transparent and strictly restricted to the constitutional ceiling in addition to other remunerations at all levels of the federation.”
Impact for the taxpayer
The debate on super-wages is gaining relevance at a time of fiscal tightening. The R$ 24.3 billion paid above the ceiling in 2025 represent resources that could be directed to areas such as health, education and infrastructure. The pressure from the entities comes as the government and Congress discuss fiscal adjustment measures and administrative reform.
For the ordinary citizen, maintaining privileges to a minority of public officials means less money for essential services and more tax burden. The manifesto seeks to raise awareness among decision-makers of the urgency of national legislation that ends legal gaps.
The Boca no Trombone Portal will continue to monitor the process of proposals and the developments of this mobilization of civil society. For more news on national policy and public management, continue browsing our website.
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