CGC is the acronym for General Taxpayer Registrations. The CGC was a mandatory registry created by the Ministry of Finance (CGC/MF) in 1964 to identify all legal entities of private law operating in the country, as well as companies that, having domicile abroad, had capital invested in the Parents.
Legal entity is any entity, association or institution with legal responsibilities and authorization to function.
Each legal entity had a card with a number that identified it nationally. This card also contained other information such as the type and classification of the legal entity, its location and whether it had more than one establishment.
In July 1999, the CGC was replaced by the CNPJ (National Register of Legal Entities). Changed the acronym, but the number remained the same.
The purpose of the change from CGC to CNPJ was to unify the registration procedures of the companies, which were previously carried out separately in the States, Municipalities, Federal District and Union, thus facilitating research and control by the tax administration of these spheres government agencies.