Import Duty - can this be right?

Is it accompanied by a bill? If not it's taxed on whatever value they find for a similar product on a site like submarino. Tax is 60%. They also charge tax on freight and insurance.

For anything that is over 50 US$, they charge tax, gift or no gift.

http://www.receita.fazenda.gov.br/aduana/rts.htm

Thanks,  I'm not sure if the person who posted it to me included the bill in the package or not.  I will have to go back to the post office tomorrow and ask them to open the package to look for a bill, but I guess they may have opened it anyway to make an assessment of the value, unless it states what the item is on the postage label.  How likely do you think the post office guy would be to agree to open the package to look for the bill?

Hi elicee,

There are a couple of taxes, the import tax and ICMS which is a state tax and that would depend on what RJ has set for the product.

60% is the rate for the federal import tax as you've been informed. If you have any luck getting the post office to open the package and there's a receipt inside then you should be able to get the taxes based on the cost of the product. Otherwise the Receita Federal is going to base it on what they think it's worth. Be prepared with several printouts of internet sales points for EXACTLY the same product in British Sterling. If it is indeed 100 Pounds then the tax should be considerably less, somewhere in the area of R$215.

Receita Federal is usually right on top of retail prices for electronics and computers so if your friend has underestimated the true value of the item don't expect any reduction in the tax they're going to ask you to pay on it.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

It is correct. Anything over $50USD is taxable. Please review the attached blog entry - it has saved me quite bit of money.

http://www.liveinbrazil.org/how-to-send … -tax-free/

POST #67

The article you mention is a bit of bull. On normal imports there is a lot more tax than mentioned. The importacao simplificado tariff of 60% is a special import tax. On normal imports, taxes are charged over other taxes, especially ICMS.

Also, most items nowadays get checked by x-Ray.

Just as a hint, "Kevin" lives in Denmark, far away from Brazil.

@ellcee

No, they won't look, and there is nothing they can do anyway. You either pay or you don't. If you pay, you get the package and you *could* complain with the receita on the taxes charged. I say could because it's probably useless. If you don't pay, you must hope the package makes its way back to the UK.

Hint:

Kevin Porter
A foreigner who fell in love with Brazil and is passionate about others finding their way here to!
Florianópolis, Santa Catarina · http://www.liveinbrazil.org/

Have you ever checked his Facebook?

He deleted it when it got posted on gringoes.com where he used to post as ToVoltando. He's married to a Danish wife an his Facebook didn't even hint at living in Florianopolis, not even on holidays.

I'd be sceptical about information on Brazil, posted by someone that lives in Denmark.

Thanks for clarifying. Had you posted what you just posted earlier there would have been no rebuttal as it would have clarified your *hint*.

Further, I never saw the need to validate his identity and his actual location nor do I care to now - I went off his blog.

Sadly, there is nothing you can do about it. Last christmas I sent my boyfriend a nice watch from USA to Sao Paulo. It took almost 2 months to arrive, and when it finally did, they made him pay R$200. I was furious, as I also stated it was a gift... but it didn't matter. The corruption and insane tax schemes in this country are deplorable. Electronics and everything else cost soo much here, yet they penalize you for importing as well. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
The only way to get around it is by importing something less than US$50. When I sent him a blu-ray set of Game of Thrones, it went to his house with no problem.. just a long wait.