The Brazilian government targets companies like Shein and Shopee, and will end import exemptions of up to US$ 50 – 04/13/2023 – Economy

2023-04-13 18:04:00

The government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will put an end to the import tax exemption for orders of up to US$ 50 (R$ 250) sent by individuals and also destined for individuals. The purpose of the measure is to prohibit the use of this exemption by electronic commerce companies that defraud the import process and improperly place the names of people as senders. According to the Federal Revenue, the rules did not allow the exemption of purchases by companies and, therefore, what is sought is the effective payment of the tax owed. The zero rate for orders actually made by individuals and which are taxed from now on served an insignificant universe, according to the tax agency, and only served for widespread fraud. “Digital smuggling” is in the crosshairs of the economic portfolio, which estimates to collect up to R$ 8 billion with the taxation of international retail platforms that evade the Treasury regulations.

Although the government does not mention the names of the companies, the Brazilian companies accuse the Asian companies of using the file. In recent years, retail platforms such as AliExpress, Shein and Shopee have taken over a significant part of the Brazilian market with cheaper products and are under the radar of Brazilian competitors.

In order to strengthen the fight against tax evasion and make the control of electronic commerce more effective, the Tax Service will establish the obligation of complete and anticipated import declarations, identifying the exporter and the importer, with the possibility of a fine in case of under-invoicing or incomplete or incorrect data. It also provides that there will no longer be a distinction in the treatment of merchandise from legal and natural persons.

_{Translated by AZAHARA MARTIN ORTEGA}

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