The Senate approved this Thursday (the 3rd) the provisional measure that ends the so-called 'blusinhas tax', a 20% tariff on international purchases of up to US$ 50. The vote in the Chamber of Deputies had taken place earlier the same day, and now the measure takes on permanent validity.
The end of the charge is one of the electoral banners of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) for his re-election campaign. The inclusion of the MP on the agenda this week was made possible by a political agreement between the leadership of the Legislative branch and the Presidential Palace.
The issue divided the government throughout 2025. On one hand, former Finance Minister Fernando Haddad feared the backlash from the productive sector with the elimination of the tax. On the other hand, Sidonio Palmeira, the minister of the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency, defended the measure as a way to win over voters.
Given the assessment that the tax charge politically harmed Lula, the measure was reversed this year, with the elimination of the tax finally approved by the National Congress.
