Yesterday, September 24, Fundação Getulio Vargas held the first meeting of the series Seminars on Taxation in Brazil - an initiative that integrates FGV's Schools of Administration, Law and Economics in São Paulo (EAESP, DIREITO GV and EESP, respectively), experts and businesspeople to discuss topics related to Brazilian taxes.The topic is highly important in the current situation. One of the major barriers in the development of the country, according to the unanimous observations of businesspeople and the academic world, is our quite complex and bureaucratized tax structure, which significantly burdens the cost of products in Brazil, explains Professor Eugenio Montoro, who coordinates the seminars with Marcos Cintra, vice-president of FGV.The opening meeting, devoted to the issue Do we actually need a tax reform?, was led by the senior professor of São Paulo Law School, Ary Osvaldo Mattos Filho, who highlighted the need for a wider debate. Discussing tax reform without discussing expenditures doesn't work, he warns.  And FGV serves as a catalyst to attract people committed to this debate, he said. Marcos Cintra adds, Expenditure reduction is the other side of the equation, concerning federal policies. However, it is important to discuss the quality of the collection, he stressed, referring to the Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services (ICMS).The discussion involved the former minister of Planning and Social Welfare of former president Lula's government, Nelson Machado; the former coordinator of the tax administration of the Finance Secretary of São Paulo state, Clóvis Panzarini; the president of the National Confederation of Services, Luigi Nese; the former consultant for the IMF and the World Bank and Senior Researcher of NEF (Tax Studies Center), Isaias Coelho; the director of the Competitiveness Department of the Brazilian Association of Machinery and Equipment Industry (Abimaq), Mario Bernardini; and EAESP's professor, Henrique Fingermann.The seminar took place at 10.30am on the 10^th floor of the building Eluma, on Avenida Paulista, São Paulo.