Government will reduce by 10% services for handling imported cargo in Brazilian ports

The government has a decree ready to remove from the basis of calculation of the Import Tax the charge on foreman services, which is the handling and transport of goods carried out within port areas. An example is the removal of containers from ships.

It is estimated that the measure will impact a 10% reduction in importers’ costs. This tariff reduction is being called by members of the economic team for the third round of Mercosur’s Common External Tariff (TEC) reduction. Currently, importers collect the equivalent and 11.8% with the foreman.

In each of the first two rounds, there was a 10% reduction in the TEC rates, used in trade with countries that are not part of the bloc. In November, after reaching an agreement with Argentina – which asked for the exclusion of items considered sensitive by the country’s industry, the government carried out the first round and, earlier this week, the second. In both, the decrease in tariffs reached 87% of the products that are part of the Common External Tariff.

Technicians involved in the matter pointed out that, in Mercosur, only Brazil charges the tax for this service. They did not reveal the amount of the tax waiver, but said the loss will be quite small.

Source: The Globe