TECH

E-commerce giants Shopee, Shein, AliExpress, Wish and Mercado Livre in the sights of the Brazilian tax authorities

After being accused of "digital smuggling" by Havan and Multilaser, marketplaces such as Shopee, Shein, AliExpress, Wish and Mercado Livre may be subject to a provisional measure from the Ministry of Economy. The expectation is that the text defines changes in the form of taxation on imported purchases made in these stores.

The government intends to collect the amounts directly from the platforms, which would pay taxes related to the transaction at the time of purchase.

Today, this charge is made directly from the consumer when the product passes through customs.

The change is also intended to make unrestrained imports of products more difficult.

Currently, individuals can buy from other individuals outside Brazil without paying taxes, if the amount is less than US$ 50.

The measure is seen as a priority by the economic team and the Federal Revenue Service. Another possibility is to tax all imports made by individuals regardless of value.

The IRS suspects that foreign companies use the exception to avoid paying taxes. In addition, they could be declaring lower amounts on invoices or re-labeling packages in Sweden to avoid tax.

Representatives of the companies made a presentation to President Jair Bolsonaro, to the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, to senators and to high-ranking members of the Executive.

They accused marketplaces like Shopee and AliExpress of being a "digital street vendor".

mundophone