Orders on foreign websites will be charged at the time of purchase; understand

Report from Correio Braziliense addressed the federal government's plan to tax foreign e-commerce sites. The newspaper highlighted a comment by Dr. Marcos Maia, partner at Maneira Advogados, regarding the matter.

Orders on foreign websites will be charged at the time of purchase; understand

Model being studied by the government will preserve an exemption of up to US$50 for purchases made by individuals, but provides for companies to collect the tax due to the tax authorities before the merchandise is sent to Brazil

Rafaela Gonçalves
(credit: Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil)

After the controversy over the taxation of international purchases that began in April, the government has not yet dropped the hammer on the tax collection model for e-commerce platforms such as Shein, Shopee and AliExpress. The Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, stated, this Monday (29/5), that a new taxation plan should be finalized in the next few days. However, the rates for companies and consumers have not yet been defined. “It’s finally over, the rate hasn’t been decided yet”, he declared.

The Ministry of Finance and the Federal Revenue Service are studying a way to ensure that taxes on products sold on foreign websites are paid at the time of purchase, in a project called “compliant shipping”. Companies should not be forced to adhere, nor is this a new tax.

Currently, the charge is made when the foreign product enters the country. However, it is suspected that many international retailers sell the items as if they were to individuals, who They are exempt from tax on items up to US$50, around R$250 at the current exchange rate. The objective is to develop a way for taxes to be paid before the merchandise is sent to Brazil.

Due to the unpopularity of e-commerce taxation, which caused an uproar since the Treasury started talking about the issue, the government's idea is to try to preserve consumers by maintaining the US$50 exemption, said lawyer Denis Passerotti, doctor in financial and tax law from the University of São Paulo (USP).

“The consumer who exceeds the exemption limit must declare and collect all applicable taxes. As these are indirect taxes, it is clear that the entire burden will be added to the product or, if the compliance program is implemented, the consumer will pay the taxes even before receiving the merchandise”, he said.

https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/economia/2023/05/5098101-encomendas-em-sites-estrangeiros-serao-taxadas-na-hora-da-compra-entenda.html