Nunes cited a cable grounding tax in 2023 and not 2024, contrary to what the posts claim

Contents investigated: Messages on the problems of the electricity system in the city of São Paulo. One reads that “Ricardo Nunes proposes to ally himself with Enel to make the population pay a tax”. Another says that “to solve the problems caused by Enel and the incompetence of the Municipality, Nunes proposed a ‘brilliant’ idea to make the population pay an improvement tax.”

Where it was published:X.

Conclusion of Test: A statement by the mayor of São Paulo and re-election candidate, Ricardo Nunes (MDB), on the possibility of imposing a tax for the burial of urban cables has provoked a wave of misinformation and negative reactions among Enel consumers.

The statement, made on November 6, 2023, during a blackout that hit the capital Sao Paulowas recently replicated on social media without contextualizing the date, suggesting that the mayor’s speech concerns the current energy crisis scenario in SP.

At the time, during a press conference at the Palácio dos Bandeirantes, seat of the São Paulo state government, Nunes declared that one of the strategies to make undergrounding the cables possible would be to charge an optional fee to customers.

“The fee, according to the law, is the possibility of charging a service, an improvement fee, an improvement contribution. We have been talking with Enel since last year [2022] we are dealing with it,” he said.

The mayor recalled that the first meeting with representatives of the concessionaire took place in October 2022, with the aim of developing a proposal for citizens and sharing costs with interested parties. However, the mayor’s speech provided no details on how the tax would work in practice, raising questions about the feasibility of the project.

After the negative fallout on social media and among residents, Nunes said in an interview with GloboNews, again in 2023, that “There is not and will never be any tax to pay to the Municipality”. This statement, contrary to what the mayor initially stated, raised doubts about the authenticity of the proposal discussed with Enel.

In response to the confusion, Enel-SP president Max Xavier Lins confirmed, also in an interview with GloboNewsthat the creation of the new tariff was on the agenda with the Municipality from October 2022.

However, on the same day, Nunes reiterated that his original statement had been taken out of context. The mayor specified that “under no circumstances will there be a fee”, clarifying that it is a voluntary contribution paid by residents of the regions who request the cable burial service.

The head of the municipal council stressed that citizens could submit plans for burying the cables and the municipality could help speed up the process, without imposing costs.

Comprova contacted Nunes and Enel’s consultants asking them what position they both currently take on the issue, but did not receive a response until this review was published.

However, recently, during the campaign for the municipality of São Paulo, Nunes pointed out that the federal government is responsible for burying the city’s electrical wiring. – once again contradicting the position taken in November 2023.

A CNN report he underlined that, in theory, the responsibility for this investment and this reform would lie with the distribution concessionaire (Enel, in the case of São Paulo), which has a public-private partnership (PPP) with the federal government.

Guilherme Boulos (PSOL), who is running alongside Nunes in the second round of São Paulo’s mayoral elections, addressed the issue during the 2024 campaign, underlining its high costs. Saturday on RedeTVthe psolist also mentioned the need for the federal government to help solve the problem.

Comprova questioned the Secretariat for Communication of the Brazilian government (Secom), responsible for the possible burial of the cables.

The application was sent to the Special Department for Social Communications of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (Aescom-MME), which responded that the measure can be financed exclusively with municipal resources, as well as through another agreement involving state resources , federal or municipal electricity and telecommunications service providers, provided they are duly agreed upon by the parties.

For example, the folder sent a file news about the revitalization of SP which involves burying the cables. The reforms were announced in July 2022 and are expected to last 18 months. According to the text, the 60 million reais invested to underground the electrical system will have to be paid from the municipal coffers.

Misleadingfor Comprova, it is content taken from the original context and used in another so that its meaning changes; that uses inaccurate data or that leads to an interpretation different from the intentions of its author; content that is confusing, with or without the deliberate intent to cause harm.

Scope of publication: Prova investigates suspicious content with maximum reach on social media. As of October 22, one of the publications with Nunes’ statement about X has reached 351.1 thousand views, while the other has reached 42.5 thousand views. Contacted by Comprova, those responsible for the posts did not respond until the publication of this verification.

Sources we consulted: Reports from CNN, GloboNews and CBN on the topic, linked throughout the text, an excerpt of Boulos’ interview with RedeTV and the press office of the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

Because Comprova investigated this publication: Prova monitors suspicious content posted on social networks and messaging applications on public policy, health, climate change and elections and opens investigations into those publications that have the greatest reach and engagement. You can also suggest checks via WhatsApp +55 11 97045-4984.

Other checks on the topic: The facts contextualized speeches by Nunes and Boulos, misinformed in the statements on Enel and the Sao Paulo blackout. The energy crisis that hit the São Paulo metropolitan region was also the subject of Comprova’s scrutiny. The initiative explained what is the role of Enel and every entity of the Federation in the blackout which affected more than 3 million consumers.