Is the government even concerned about the environment???

I am convinced that EVERYTHING in Brazil is simply about collecting more and more taxes from an already overtaxed population. It appears that this drive to extract the maximum possible from the pocket of the average Brazilian even outweighs any concern whatsoever for the environment.The Brazilian government has just hiked the tax on bicycles to 40.5% while the tax on cars is only 32%. A bottom of the range 21 speed, 26 in. frame bicycle in Brazil costs about R$400 which is around 54% higher than the selling price of a similar bicycle in the USA. A folding bike which would be ideal for use integrated with public transportation sells for around R$640 in Brazil while similar bikes sell for around 33% less in Europe.A bicycle tire costs around R$30 in Brazil and if used to ride to and from work daily one would probably need to replace the tires at least every 3 months. This could add around R$120 a year to one's budget, a heavy burden indeed for most Brazilians.While major cities throughout Brazil, especially São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte are constantly trying to convince the general population to switch over to bicycles in order to reduce air polution and traffic congestion, it appears that the federal government is equally bent on making that an impossible dream. Where are their heads anyway? Clearly the powers that be couldn't care less about the environment or they'd be reducing the taxes on bicyles instead of jacking it up even higher.As if the ridiculously high bus fares across this country aren't enough to force more and more Brazilians into used cars that are old, poorly maintained and pollute; the increase in taxes on bicycles sure won't do anything to change that sad situation any time soon. Clearly to the present government of this country the objectives of the Receita Federal are certainly more important than the objectives of IBAMA. Sad comment on this society indeed.  Cheers,    William James Woodward, Brazil & Canada Expert - Expat-blog Team