Retail supports digital tax on e-commerce imports

The president of the Institute for the Development of Retail (IDV), Jorge Gonçalves Filho, said today (20), in São Paulo, that companies in the sector consider the plan to charge taxes on imports from digital platforms as a positive “first step”. foreign companies, suggested in the beginning of the afternoon by the Minister of Finance, fernando haddad.

According to the minister, Brazil may follow a solution adopted by some countries – known as digital tax (digital taxes) – to tax imported retail products. The tax is declared by the seller in the country of origin of the product and will fall on the selling company and not on the final consumer. In this way, the import tax is charged at the origin and not upon arrival (of the goods) in Brazil.

“Today, when the merchandise arrives in Brazil and goes through an inspection (and is taxed), the consumer has to pay that tax (which was initially not foreseen). Now, this will become transparent. in the (initial) price, and the price, if it’s competitive, great”, said the president of the IDV.

“So, this is a measure that, it seems to us, will be a first step that we will support, which is to make the tax payable in the (initial) transaction”, he added.

identical rules

Jorge Gonçalves, who met with Haddad during the afternoon, stated that the government’s plan is to make both foreign retailers and national companies work under the same rules.

“The minister mentioned that, in the morning, he had spoken with one of these (foreign) platforms, which will have an adaptation plan for this type of trade. There will be an adaptation plan, everyone in the country will work under the same rules. Or that is, we can have the perspective that the competition will be fairer. This is very good, we understand that it is an important step”, he highlighted.

He assessed that there will be no increase in the tax burden, but only a change in the way of charging the import tax.

“In our view, there is no load increase, neither for the consumer nor for the company. We are simply going to follow what is established. Our competitor out there can set the price he wants. If he wants to include (the tax ) in the price, which he should already be paying, great” he stressed.

Price

The president of the IDV also said that he presented a series of suggestions from the sector for the minister’s consideration, and that the institute was invited to participate in the government’s working group that discusses the theme.

“In addition to the price, which is the most visible to the consumer, the theme involves the issue, for example, of the product being certified. Here in Brazil, if we buy a toy, that toy has passed the seal of the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (Inmetro), passed by the Brazilian Association of Toy Manufacturers (Abrinq), has several points and we are going to work for the country to be an open country”, he concluded.