Brazil’s Chamber Votes Monday to End the ‘Blusinhas Tax’ on Cheap Imports
BRAZIL · BUSINESS
Key Facts
—What happened: Speaker Hugo Motta scheduled a Chamber floor vote for Monday on ending the “blusinhas tax” on imported parcels.
—What the tax is: Since August 2024, international online purchases up to US$50 have paid a 20 percent federal import duty.
—The vehicle: A presidential decree with force of law, MP 1.357/2026, zeroed the duty and now needs Congress to survive.
—The catch: If both houses do not approve it by 8 September, the decree lapses and the 20 percent duty returns.
—Who is unhappy: Brazilian retailers and industry want the tax back, warning that cheap imports threaten local jobs.
—Why now: The exemption is hugely popular, and Brazil elects its next president on 4 October.
Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies will vote on Monday to make the end of the “blusinhas tax” permanent. Speaker Hugo Motta put the measure on the floor agenda, and the clock runs out on 8 September.
What Motta scheduled for Monday
Hugo Motta, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, called an extraordinary session for Monday at 6 p.m. On the agenda is Medida Provisória 1.357/2026, the decree that zeroed the import duty on small international parcels.
A Medida Provisória, or provisional measure, is a decree the president signs with immediate force of law. It dies unless Congress converts it into legislation within a fixed window.
Monday opens what Brazilians call an “esforço concentrado”, a concentrated effort. It is a sitting week reserved for urgent votes, and this one runs against a hard deadline.
“The end of the tax is a demand of the people,” Motta said when he announced the schedule. “It will ease the pockets of millions of Brazilians who shop on the internet.”
What the blusinhas tax actually is
The nickname means roughly “the little-blouses tax”. It refers to a 20 percent federal import duty on international purchases of up to US$50 sent by post.
Congress created the charge in August 2024, and President Lula signed it. Then-finance minister Fernando Haddad had asked for it, answering Brazilian retailers who called the duty-free competition unfair.
The tax hit hardest where it hurt politically. Cheap clothing, gadgets and cosmetics from platforms like Shein, Shopee and AliExpress had become everyday purchases for poorer households.
A March survey by Atlas for Bloomberg found that 62 percent of Brazilians considered the blusinhas tax the government’s biggest mistake. Few policies have polled worse.
The path through Congress
Before the floor, the decree must clear a joint committee of thirteen deputies and thirteen senators. That committee was installed on Friday morning.
Deputy Reginaldo Lopes of Lula’s Workers’ Party chairs the panel. Senator Leila Barros, a former Olympic volleyball star known as Leila do Vôlei, is the rapporteur.
Leila Barros plans to spend the weekend studying the 112 amendments lawmakers filed. She presents her report on Monday, the committee votes, and the Chamber floor follows the same day.
The Senate then votes later in the week. Without approval in both houses by 8 September, the decree expires and the 20 percent duty returns on 9 September.
What the decree allows beyond US$50
The measure does more than zero the small-parcel rate. It lets the finance minister set import-duty rates for international postal shipments within a band.
Rates can fall to zero for shipments of up to US$50. For parcels worth up to US$3,000, the rate can go as low as 30 percent.
That flexibility matters for the future. A later government could raise the rates again without asking Congress for a new law.
The politics of a popular tax cut
The vote is part of a broader deal between Lula and the leaders of both houses. Motta and Senate President Davi Alcolumbre agreed to move the government’s priority agenda after months of friction.
The same sitting week should see action on constitutional amendments for public security and the end of the six-days-on, one-day-off work schedule. Bills on critical minerals and data-center taxation are also on the list.
The electoral calendar explains the rush. Brazil votes in the first round on 4 October, and few measures offer such a direct, visible benefit to millions of voters.
Industry keeps pushing the other way. Business groups warn that scrapping the duty exposes Brazilian factories and shops to a flood of untaxed imports, and they point to jobs at risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brazil’s “blusinhas tax”?
It is the nickname for a 20 percent federal import duty on international online purchases of up to US$50 sent by post. Congress created it in August 2024 to protect Brazilian retailers.
What happens in the Chamber on Monday?
Speaker Hugo Motta scheduled a floor vote on the presidential decree that zeroed the duty. The joint committee votes earlier the same day, and the Senate votes later in the week.
What happens if Congress does not approve the decree?
The provisional measure expires on 8 September. The 20 percent import duty on parcels up to US$50 would return on 9 September.
Who is behind the push to end the tax?
President Lula signed the decree, and the leaders of both houses of Congress agreed to fast-track it. A March poll found 62 percent of Brazilians saw the tax as the government’s biggest mistake.
Does the measure only cover purchases up to US$50?
No. It also lets the finance minister cut the import duty on parcels worth up to US$3,000 to as low as 30 percent. The zero rate applies to shipments of up to US$50.
Connected Coverage
The committee stage is in Brazil’s Congress Races to Kill the ‘Blusinhas Tax’ on Cheap Online Shopping, and the industry backlash in Brazil Industry Warns End of Blusinhas Tax Threatens 109,000 Jobs. The earlier calendar is in Brazil Sets 1 September Vote on Blusinhas Tax Measure. More on our Brazil hub.
Sources: Agência Câmara; Exame; CBN; G1; Correio Braziliense; Congresso em Foco (27–29 August 2026).
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