President Lula hosted the leaders of Brazil's two legislative chambers, House Speaker Hugo Motta and Senate President Davi Alcolumbre, for lunch at the Alvorada Palace on Wednesday. The meeting's main goal was to unblock a provisional decree that suspended what Brazilians call the 'blusinhas tax' (literally 'little blouses tax'), a nickname for the import levy on small international purchases, according to the news site O Antagonista.
The decree suspended a 20% import tax on international purchases of up to 50 US dollars, a rule that mostly hits shoppers buying from platforms like Shein and AliExpress. The measure expires on September 8 unless both the lower house and the Senate approve it before then. If it lapses, the tax could return, adding pressure to the legislative calendar.
On Sunday, Lula said he expected to announce the end of the 'blusinhas tax' after meeting with the two chamber presidents, according to reports covering his remarks. The government wants to use what it considers Congress's last concentrated work push before the campaign period slows legislative activity to get the decree approved.
Other items on the agenda
Besides the import tax measure, the lunch also covered a constitutional amendment on public security and another ending the so called '6x1' work schedule, a shift pattern requiring six days of work for one day off that labor advocates have pushed to abolish. Both proposals were sent by Alcolumbre to the Senate's Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) after sitting without action for months, per O Antagonista. On the security amendment, rapporteur Rogério Carvalho (Workers' Party, Sergipe state) recommended keeping the text as approved by the lower house, a move meant to avoid sending it back to the Chamber of Deputies. That text would grant constitutional status to Brazil's national public security system and its associated funds.
On the 6x1 work schedule amendment, rapporteur Omar Aziz (PSD, Amazonas state) said he will present his report to the CCJ on Thursday and plans to keep the version already approved by the lower house, again to avoid delays, according to G1. Aziz intends to propose a transition period of up to one year for cutting weekly working hours, with exceptions for specific sectors. A bill on critical and strategic minerals, already passed by the lower house and now in Senate committees, was also on the table.
The outcome now hinges on the timeline Lula, Motta and Alcolumbre discussed at lunch. The import tax decree must clear both chambers before September 8 to avoid expiring, while Omar Aziz is set to present his report on the 6x1 schedule to the Senate committee on Thursday.