São Paulo – The Ministry of Economy of Brazil reduced import taxes to zero last Wednesday (25) on 61 pharmaceutical, medical and hospital products used to fight the new coronavirus, including coronavirus test kits, pharmaceutical, medical and hospital equipment and apparatus, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and immunoglobulin, and others.
In an online meeting of the Executive Committee of Management (GECEX) of the Foreign Trade Chamber (CAMEX), it was also decided a temporary halt on antidumping rights applied to Brazilian imports of disposable syringes and plastic tubes for blood collection.
Among other products, the zero tax also includes items such as ethylic alcohol, pure sodium chloride, medical oxygen and carbon dioxide; paper sheets, protection gloves, sterilizers, and needles; oxygen and intubation devices, artificial breathing machines, thermometers, diagnostic devices and apparatus.
The new list was elaborated by the Ministries of Health and Economy together with the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), amounting to 61 products that had import taxes up to 35%, the higher tariff level applied in Brazil on industrial goods.
GECEX’s decision widens the product list of the Anexo Único da Resolução nº 17 from March 17, 2020, which had reduced to zero the import tax on 50 products, including medical and hospital gloves, hand sanitizers, masks, clinical thermometers, protection clothes against infectious agents, and others. The tax will remain at zero by September 30, 2020. Now, it includes 111 products. The measures take effects as of Thursday (26), when it was published in the Diário Oficial da União.
Check out the product list with zero import tax on the Diário Oficial da União.
Pictured above, a COVID test analysis in the Fiocruz lab in Rio de Janeiro.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
