President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday (September 10) signs into law a provisional measure that scraps the so-called blusinha tax, the 20% import duty on international purchases of up to US$ 50. The ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Planalto Palace, the presidential office in Brasília. Congress gave the measure final approval last week; without it, the provisional measure, a temporary presidential decree that expires unless lawmakers ratify it, would have lapsed.
The 20% charge has been in force since May and applies to international postal shipments, the low-value orders placed on platforms such as Shein, Shopee and AliExpress. According to news site g1, the measure was unblocked in Congress through a deal between Lula, House Speaker Hugo Motta and Senate President Davi Alcolumbre. Valor Econômico reported that Lula invited allies to the signing ceremony as Flávio Bolsonaro gains ground in presidential election polls.
What changes for shoppers
Without the import duty, a US$ 50 purchase is subject only to ICMS, a state-level sales tax of 17% in most of Brazil, 20% in some states. Because the tax is calculated "from within" the price, the US$ 50 is divided by 0.83 and the total reaches US$ 60.24, about R$ 312, according to calculations by foreign trade specialist Jackson Campos cited by g1. With the duty, the same order came to US$ 72.29, or R$ 374.53. In practice, one product can fall from R$ 374 to R$ 312.
Impact monitoring
The text approved by Congress added a mechanism to assess the economic effects of the exemption on Brazilian industries. The first review by the Finance Ministry comes three months after the signing, then every six months. It will track effects on jobs, income, federal revenue and the competitiveness of industry and retail, so the ministry can study mitigation measures.
The review is mandatory for textiles and clothing, footwear, accessories, toys and cosmetics. Congress will also reassess the end of the tax every year, based on data the Finance Ministry must release by April 30. Under the new rule, the finance minister gains the power to change import duty rates on postal shipments, including cutting the charge to zero for purchases of up to US$ 50. The ICMS continues to be collected, and exempting it is up to each state governor.