PT and other parties intend to end exemptions for purchases up to US$50

Parties such as the PT, PP, PSD and PL are articulating, based on pressure from Brazilian retail businesspeople, a bill that could end the exemption from import tax for purchases worth up to US$50. to the government’s lack of definition in establishing a rate for taxing sales through the Remessa Compliance program, which established a series of rules for large foreign retailers, such as Shein and AliExpress, among others.

Taxing purchases, however, faces resistance in public opinion and was questioned at the beginning of the year, with First Lady Janja Lula da Silva herself influencing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to send Minister Fernando Haddad, of Finance , go back to the measurement. The Federal Revenue plans to establish a rate, but this will only occur when the program reaches 100% of declared purchases, scheduled for the end of the year.

Representative Zé Neto (PT-BA), vice-president of the Parliamentary Entrepreneurship Front, states that taxation is necessary due to the unequal competition that foreign retailers are causing in the national market.

“We are working in a non-partisan manner in the Chamber because people have not yet paid attention to the impact this will have on the economy. It’s not just the large retailers that are being harmed, but also small businesses in smaller cities, affecting the entire local economy,” he said in an interview with Economic value published this Monday (13).

The rapporteur of the proposal, deputy Paulo Guedes (PT-MG), intends to discuss the topic with the economic team, including the special secretary of the Federal Revenue, Robinson Barreirinhas. While the text remains undefined, Guedes plans to present the report to the Finance and Taxation Commission at the end of November, with expectations for a vote between December 4th and 8th.

With a conclusive nature in committees, the project will not need to go through the Chamber plenary before being sent to the Senate. The government suggests waiting for the Conforming Remittance conclusions to determine the ideal rate.

An internal technical note from the Ministry of Finance proposes a tax of 28%, aiming to raise approximately R$2.8 billion in 2024. Businesspeople argue that competition is “unfair” and defend a rate of 74.2% to balance national companies and international e-commerce.

However, critics, such as Henrique Lian, director of Institutional Relations at the Brazilian Consumer Protection Association (Proteste), argue against “local protectionism”, predicting that the cost of ending the exemption will be passed on to the consumer.

Representative Luiz Phelippe de Orleans and Bragança (PL-SP) proposes increasing the exemption range from US$50 to US$100, warning about the increase in smuggling and fraud if the tax applies to smaller purchases.