Video in which a woman accuses Lula of having created taxes on purchases on international websites is misleading – 04/20/2023 – Market

The statements of a woman who, on video, criticizes President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) for taxes charged for purchases made on an international website are misleading. In the recording, the author shows the purchase price (R$ 266.54) and complains that the products are stopped at customs until she pays R$ 521.97 in taxes, which she refuses to do. Without mentioning Lula’s name, she says: “Look what the thieving bandit is doing with my little packages from Shein”. This suggests that it was the current president who determined that the tax should be levied on purchases of less than US$50 (hers was US$44.93), which is not true —the tax already existed, she was just caught in the inspection of the IRS.

In a note on imports by individuals, the government explains that, currently, “all purchases, even those of low value, pay a 60% tariff to the Federal Revenue if they are caught in the inspection, today done by sampling”. Only orders between individuals with no commercial purposes do not pay the Import Tax if they do not exceed US$ 50. “The Federal Revenue monitors companies that abuse the artifice to impersonate an individual.” Import tax is levied on the value of the goods, freight and insurance (which make up the customs value), not just on the total amount that the consumer pays to the website.

“The benefit (of tax exemption for orders between individuals) has existed since 1980, with the value of US$ 100, and the limit was reduced by half at the end of the 90s”, informs the text, as verified by the Comprova Project . That is, unlike what the author of the video says, it was not the Lula government that imposed import taxes.

In the document exposed by the author of the video, the collection of ICMS (Tax on Circulation of Goods and Services) also appears, a state tax, not a federal one, as she puts it when criticizing the president. In the case of her purchase, the ICMS has a rate of 25%. This rate is levied on the customs value, on the import tax and on the ICMS value itself.

The discussion on taxation of international products intensified after the government announced that it would end the exemption of import tax on shipments below US$ 50 sent by individuals, but, on April 18, the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad (PT ), withdrew from the measure.

Misleading, for Comprova, is content removed from the original context and used in another so that its meaning undergoes changes; that uses inaccurate data or that induces an interpretation different from the author’s intention; content that is confusing, with or without the deliberate intent to cause harm.

Reach

Comprova investigates suspicious content with greater reach on social networks. The video, published in a Telegram group on April 12, had 8,700 views by April 19.

How do we check

The report collected all the apparent data on the sheets of paper exposed in the video that could help locate the taxed order or identify the woman who recorded the misleading content — the customer’s registration data on the Shein website and the product tracking code on the website of the post office were exposed.

By pausing the scene in specific frames, it was possible to write down the name of the author of the video, her address and the city where she lives.

Searching Google for the woman’s name and the identified city, a veterinary clinic appeared with the same name as Shein’s registration (the storefront also had a WhatsApp number).

The veterinary clinic did not appear to be a coincidence, as the office’s address was a 10-minute walk from the physical person’s address shown in the misleading video.

The Comprova Project then contacted the exposed WhatsApp number and, in response, the veterinary doctor claimed to have shared the video about the taxation of her purchase on the Chinese e-commerce.

In cooperation with the check, the veterinarian sent the documents used in the video to the report.

The team also researched tax collection on websites such as Correios and the Federal Revenue Service, as well as reports on the subject.

What the person responsible for the publication says

Sought after by the report, the author of the post stated that what motivated the release of the video was an “uprising with the thief who is taxing any piece of goodies we buy at Shein. When we travel abroad we are entitled to a quota for purchases markets. I buy few things for my own consumption”.

What can we learn from this check

When faced with content that makes a major complaint, the first step is to look for reports on the websites of professional vehicles on the subject. After a quick search, it would already be possible to verify that it was a questionable content, since the tax collection change (from which the government withdrew, as informed) had only been announced, had not started.

why do we investigate

Comprova monitors suspicious content published on social networks and messaging apps about public policies and elections at the federal level and opens investigations for those publications that have achieved greater reach and engagement. You can also suggest checks via WhatsApp +55 11 97045-4984. Suggestions and questions related to questionable content can also be sent to Sheet via WhatsApp 11 99486-0293.

Other checks on the topic

Comprova recently verified that a tax to tax purchases on international sites such as Shein and Shopee has existed since 1999.

The investigation of this content was carried out by Folha and UOL and published on April 19 by Projeto Comprova, a coalition that brings together 41 vehicles to check viral content. It was verified by Estadão, O Popular, Grupo Sinos, SBT and SBT News.