The Senate approved on Thursday the provisional measure that ends the so-called "blusinhas tax," the 20% charge on international purchases of up to US$ 50. The Chamber of Deputies had approved the same measure earlier on the same day, and it now becomes permanent after being sanctioned by Congress.
The inclusion of the MP on the voting agenda was the result of a political agreement between the leadership of the Legislative branch and the Presidential Palace. The measure represents one of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's (PT) main electoral banners for his re-election campaign.
The topic generated internal division within the government. On one side, then Finance Minister Fernando Haddad feared the backlash from the productive sector with the end of the charge. On the other side, Minister Sidônio Palmeira, from the Social Communication Secretariat, saw eliminating the fee as a way to gain voter support.
Given the assessment that the charge would harm Lula electorally, the government decided to reverse the measure this year, issuing the MP to end the blusinhas tax.