The end of half-price tickets for students, teachers, and senior citizens at cultural events, such as movies, theater, and concerts, was approved by the deputies of the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo (Alesp) on the evening of Wednesday, the 27th. The text now awaits the sanction of Governor João Dória (PSDB) to become law.
Authored by Representative Arthur do Val (Patriotas), Bill 300/20 "ensures the benefit of half-price tickets for people aged between 0 (zero) and 99 (ninety-nine) years," using the extension of the benefit as a strategy to end half-price tickets in practice, under the justification that the benefit would promote "inequality" among citizens and "serious distortions in market prices practiced by the entertainment sector," as described in the full text of the bill.
As CNN Brazil , the project would not entitle everyone to half-price tickets, as event organizers would be negatively impacted. A full-price ticket costing R$ 200 would not be sold for R$ 100 to everyone because "to avoid losses, the event organizers will raise the full-price ticket to R$ 400, and the half-price ticket will then be R$ 200, the full price that was previously charged."
The project depends on the approval of the governor of the State of São Paulo to become law. According to Carlão Pignatari (PSDB), who is president of the Legislative Assembly and acting governor during Dória's current trip, the project will be vetoed by the government.
“I think it was a mistake to approve such a project, because there is a federal law that regulates it; the state cannot regulate this type of benefit or not. So, I see that it was a mistake, and I am sure that the legal department of the Palace will determine the veto of this bill,” he said in an interview with Bom Dia SP (via G1) .
READ ALSO: Creator of Rock In Rio announces mega-festival in São Paulo with metal in the line-up