Government reduces import tax on medicines and 12 other products

On Friday (15), the Executive Management Committee of the Foreign Trade Chamber (Gecex/Camex) approved the reduction of the Import Tax for 13 products.

According to official information, released by Gecex, among the items are medicines and medical equipment, ink for printing books, contact lenses, hops for breweries and polypropylene resin, among other items, which had the tax zero or reduced to 2%. at 6.5%.

In addition, one of the lawsuits approved by Gecex zeros import rates for drugs containing olaparib, used for the treatment of breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.

In the same decision, Gecex zeroed the tax on imports of medication containing tiotropium bromide monohydrate and olodaterol hydrochloride – a bronchodilator indicated for the treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Previously, the Import Tax rate for these two items was 8% and the reduction was approved with the inclusion of an ex-tariff in the List of Exceptions to the Common External Tariff of Mercosur (LETEC).

In the same lawsuit, the import rates for two medical devices were cut from 16% to 0% – one endovascular, used to dissolve and eliminate thrombi, and the other for robotic-assisted endovascular medical surgery, involving catheters, coronary and peripheral vascular stents, among other medical conditions. In both cases, there was also the inclusion of former tariffs in Letec.

The members of Gecex also approved the reduction to zero of the Import Tax for the purchase of high tenacity polyester yarn; hop extract; a type of sunscreen; and a heart valve prosthesis system, in addition to an electrode fixation system in the skull, for cases of Parkinson’s Disease. The rates for these products ranged from 8% to 18%.

For the same reason, three products had their rates reduced to 2%, including black and color book printing inks and silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

Another measure approved was the inclusion of polypropylene resins – code 3902.10.20 of the Mercosur Common Nomenclature (NCM) – in Letec, with a reduction in Import Tax to 6.5%.

Polypropylene resin is used in the production of items for various segments of the industry, such as applications in flexible packaging, bags for grains and fertilizers, plastic chairs, toys, home appliances and auto parts, among other uses.

*With information from Agência Brasil