Lawmakers and Santos Mayor wants new revenue source for port cities

According to the bill, additional fees would be allocated to cities as compensation for the impacts caused by port activity (Alexsander Ferraz/AT)

The proposal to create a new revenue stream for port municipalities, derived from port revenues, is outlined in Bill 733/2025, which revises the legal framework of the port sector. This initiative is supported both by federal deputies on the special committee in the Chamber of Deputies reviewing the bill and by the Mayor of Santos, Rogério Santos (Republicanos). The matter was highlighted on Tuesday (30), during a meeting held with the committee at the City Hall.

Articles 92 to 97 of the bill establish guidelines concerning the port-city relationship. Article 97 stipulates the allocation to port municipalities of 1% of the Port Authority’s annual gross revenue from port fees, and 5% of the concession fees (amounts paid by companies to the government to operate a terminal) offered during concession or lease auction bids.

If a terminal or port spans more than one municipality, the bill proposes that the distribution be proportional to the volume of cargo handled in each location over the past 12 months. These transfers would be made directly by the Port Authority to the benefiting municipalities.

Federal Deputy Paulo Alexandre Barbosa (PSDB) argues that port city governments are entitled to compensation for the impacts of port operations. Santos Mayor Rogério Santos (Republicanos) also supports increasing revenue derived from port fees.

“These are compensations intended for local investments in social and logistics areas. Our goal is to improve quality of life. These resources should offset the impacts of port activity, such as beach erosion, marine pollution, and mobility issues. It's essential to balance the economic importance of the port with the quality of life of the local population”, emphasized the Santos mayor.

Federal Deputy Arthur Maia (União-BA), rapporteur of the special committee, is one of the leading advocates for increasing revenue to port cities. “I believe that allocating 1% of the gross revenue from port fees and 5% of concession auction fees is entirely fair, because while port activity brings benefits, it also imposes burdens on cities — such as Santos and Guarujá in this case. You can't build a sound port-city relationship without financial investment.”

On the other hand, the President of the Santos Port Authority (APS), Anderson Pomini, opposes the proposal for additional revenue to port municipalities. He cited, for instance, Complementary Law 793/2013, enacted by the Municipality of Santos, which regulates the requirement of a Preliminary Neighborhood Impact Study (EIV) for port companies.

"Through this law alone, the Municipality of Santos has collected over R\$ 500 million from terminals on the Right Bank."

Pomini believes that Santos' legislation can serve as a model for other municipalities connected to the Port of Santos. “This is the way forward — that the four or five municipalities connected to the Port of Santos and other ports create their own specific legislation to assess the impact of operations and establish compensations, such as the construction of daycare centers and public buildings that serve the interests of the cities.”

Business entities question the allocation The proposal to create a new revenue source for port municipalities from port revenues was criticized by representative organizations of port terminals last Wednesday, during a public hearing of the special committee of the Chamber of Deputies reviewing Bill (PL) 733/2025, in Brasília.

As reported by A Tribuna, Jesualdo Silva, President of the Associação Brasileira dos Terminais Portuários (ABTP), stated that there are already adequate legal instruments to balance urban development and port activity.

Murillo Barbosa, President of the Associação de Terminais Portuários Privados (ATP), also expressed opposition to a public policy that would apply to all port facilities, stressing the need for a reassessment of the matter.

Caio Morel, Executive Director of the Associação Brasileira de Terminais de Contêineres (Abratec), noted that the port sector already contributes through the ISS (Municipal Services Tax), and that this issue should not be addressed in this bill.

Sérgio Aquino, President of the Federação Nacional das Operações Portuárias (Fenop), argued that companies already pay taxes on port fees and that the proposal is unjustified. He also suggested that the provisions for additional transfers be reviewed by the rapporteur, as they could discourage investment in port assets.