New social security identity cards will soon be introduced with brand new numbers, in a bid to gain greater fiscal control. Contrary to what has taken place previously, companies will now only have one number, independent of how many offices they may have.
Due to these alterations, Segurança Social will now have a tighter control over contributors who were previously registered at several regional offices, which, in the past, has made it complicated to manage. A representative from the office of Fernando Negrão, the Minister for Social Security and the Welfare of Families and Children, said: “There are three main objectives to be achieved by making this alteration – to be able to unmistakably identify companies, to ensure that payments are received on time and to maintain more efficient financial control.” However, when questioned about the possibility of a future card containing the complete history of a company’s social security payments as fiscal information, the representative declined to comment.
The government has already announced its intention for information-sharing to take place between the tax office and the department of social security. However, when questioned about this aim, the Minister’s office would only comment: “A study is being made for an agreement between Finanças and Segurança Social to research how to conduct the data share.”
The cross-referencing of records between the two entities is currently thwarted by legislation relating to personal data protection. Frustrated by the problem, the former Finance Minister had complained that the Comissão Nacional de Protecção de Dados Pessoais was causing delays, a claim which they rejected. However, the Minister’s office would not comment on whether or not the ‘green light’ had been given to issue legislation to advance the data sharing. All he said was that no information was currently available on the subject, although he did confirm it was correct that the identification numbers were being altered.
