In a letter to Haddad, Shopee gave its "full support" to taxing imports between individuals.
An international retailer said the measure was "fully aligned" with the company's mission to promote local products and entrepreneurship. However, the government backtracked on Tuesday.
247 - The Singaporean company Shopee had shown support for the Lula (PT) government's initiative to end the tax exemption on international purchases of up to US$50 made between individuals. This information was... reported by columnist Andréia Sadi, from Grupo Globo.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, this Monday (17), the international retailer assured "full support" for the decision, stating its commitment to promoting local entrepreneurship and local products.
Shopee, in fact, emphasized that it does not produce or buy products in Brazil, but highlighted its importance to local commerce, stating that more than 85% of sales mediated by its platform are between sellers and consumers. Only 15% of transactions occur through imports, according to the document.
"The most recently announced policy on import tax for low-value products is fully aligned with Shopee's mission to promote local products and entrepreneurship. We fully support this decision," reads an excerpt from the letter. (See the full document by clicking [here]). using this link).
Government backed down
It is worth remembering, however, that the The Ministry of Finance backtracked, this Tuesday (18), on the decision to tax international orders up to US$ 50 exchanged between individuals.In a conversation with journalists, Haddad said that President Lula "asked for the measure to be reversed and that the economic team seek to resolve the issue administratively." With the end of this exemption, Haddad expected to collect up to R$ 8 billion more in taxes.
The exemption, therefore, applies to individuals, and the government will seek other ways to prevent companies from exploiting loopholes and taking advantage of this benefit.