Alckmin defends import tax for purchases up to US$50

The acting president, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), defended this Tuesday (28) the return of the import tax for international purchases of up to US$50. The proposal returned to discussion after the changes implemented since August, which exempted transactions for companies participants in the Conform Remittance program.

The discussion about the resumption of the tax was also inflated due to criticism from the Brazilian productive sector, which alleges unfair competition with international retail, and due to the government’s own financial situation, which is looking for ways to increase revenue and meet the target of zero the loss of public accounts in 2024.

Alckmin declared that he was in favor of taxing international purchases up to the limit mentioned after the meeting to establish the MDIC Commerce and Service Forum (FMCS).

“What was done: first, the platform to formalize all imports. Then, the ICMS was applied — which previously only had two states that taxed it, now practically everyone taxes it. And what do I defend? Competitive freedom. (…) But there is no decision made in this regard,” she said.

Alckmin clarified that the initial phases, such as the creation of the Remessa Compliance platform and the application of ICMS, have been completed, and now the discussion turns to the “next step”, which is the possible reintroduction of the import tax. However, no deadline was established for this definition.

Alckmin argued that the measure is in favor of competitive freedom, highlighting the steps already taken in the process. Firstly, the platform was developed to formalize imports, followed by the implementation of ICMS, which began to be applied by practically all states. Even so, the acting president highlighted that there is no definitive decision on the return of import tax for purchases up to US$50.

Currently, international purchases up to this value are exempt from import tax, thanks to the rules of the Remessa Compliance program, implemented in August. Companies such as Shein, Shopee and Amazon voluntarily joined the program.

Transactions above this limit are taxed at 60%. Regardless of the value, all international shipments are subject to ICMS charges, at a rate of 17%. This fee, referring to state tax, is applied to purchases made on foreign websites.