Brazil moves to abolish import tax on small purchases

The Brazilian federal government is working to eliminate the 20% import tax on online purchases valued up to US$ 50, a measure colloquially known as the “taxa das blusinhas”. Finance Minister Dario Durigan stated that the government will focus on mobilizing its base in Congress to advance a provisional measure (MP) that would zero this tax. The current text is set to expire on September 8 if not approved by both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

In a separate development regarding regional trade, the state-owned postal service, Correios, has launched a logistics service allowing Brazilians to receive purchases from Paraguayan retailers via land transport. This service currently connects consumers to two retailers in Ciudad del Este, Cellshop and New Zone Importados, both of which are part of the Receita Federal’s Remessa Conforme program.

While the service facilitates shopping from Paraguay, goods remain subject to customs inspection and taxation. Under the Remessa Conforme program, individual purchases up to US$ 50 are exempt from import tax, though state-level ICMS taxes (typically between 17% and 20%) still apply.