CNPJ
The Federal Government interest in simplifying its registration procedures on companies appears in the mid-90's, but it was only in 1998, through the "SRF Normative Instruction No. 27", that the CNPJ (short for Cadastro Nacional da Pessoa Jurídica "in Portuguese", or '"National Registry of Legal Entities'") was created, replacing the former system, CGC (short for "Cadastro Geral de Contribuintes in Portuguese, or" '"General Taxpayers Registry"'). At the end of 2003 it gained a new impulse by sharing and integrating registration data and fiscal information between States and the Union. In 2009 the MEI (Microempreendedor Individual in Portuguese, or  'Individual Microentrepreneur') was created to supply market demand. The "CNPJ" consists of a 14-digit number formatted as XX.XXX.XXX/0001-XX — The first eight digits identify the company, the four digits after the slash identify the branch or subsidiary ("0001" defaults to the headquarters), and the last two are check digits. The "CNPJ" must be informed on any invoice of any company, as well as on the packaging of any industrialized product. According to SEBRAE (Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas "in Portuguese, or 'Brazilian Service to Support Micro and Small Enterprises"'), there is more than 19.2 million  active companies in Brazil, almost 6 million situated in São Paulo --, more than 4.8 million being 'Individual Microentrepreneur' (MEI), 'Micro-enterprise' (Microempresas - ME) and/or 'Small Business' (Empresas de Pequeno Porte - EPP). Data from IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística "in Portuguese", or "'Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics')" shows 4.937,861 million companies in 2018, an increase of 11.7% compared to 2007, but represents a drop of 1.8%, if compared to 2017. Among the more than 52.2 million employed persons, 45.5 million (87.0%) were salary workers and 6.8 million (13.0%) were in the condition of partner or ownership. The average  monthly salary was R$2.952,87, equivalent to 3.1 minimum wages. Also according to the IBGE, of the companies founded in the country in 2008, only 25.3% were still standing in 2018, 70% closed their doors in less than 10 years and only 25.3% were still standing ten years later.codice_1The CEMPRE (Cadastro Central de Empresas "in Portuguese", or "'Central Business Register"') is currently composed of approximately 29.3 million companies and other formal organizations and 31.4 million local units (operational addresses), of which 91.5% are business entities and the 8.5% remaining distributed between public administration bodies and non-profit entities. Graphic chart shows  the distribution of salary workers, according to their legal nature, by gender and level of education in 2018: 71.1% were absorbed by business entities; 21.8% by the public administration; and 7.1% by non-profit entities. Different cases of CNPJ-related frauds are recorded every year in Brazil. The most common types are: Consulting a CNPJ is free, and can be done directly through the Federal Revenue system. The service is called "Emissão de Comprovante de Inscrição e de Situação Cadastral"