— Maduro’s Venezuela surprises Lula and begins charging tariffs of up to 77% on…

🇻🇪🇻🇪❌🇧🇷 — Maduro’s Venezuela surprises Lula and begins charging tariffs of up to 77% on exports of Brazilian products

➡️ Venezuela has unexpectedly decided to impose tariffs of up to 77% on Brazilian exports. The measure affects goods with certificates of origin, which should be exempt from import duties due to an agreement signed in 2014.

💸 Business owners in Roraima, the state most affected by the measure, were informed that the reinstatement of tariffs affected the other Mercosur members (Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay). These countries also have bilateral agreements with Venezuela.

🚫 Venezuela’s taxation comes just days before a 50% surcharge on all Brazilian products, announced by US President Donald Trump, is scheduled to go into effect next Friday. However, the Venezuelan government has not provided any explanation for the measure.

➡️ According to Eduardo Oestreicher, president of the Venezuelan-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce of Roraima, the exemption for these products—mostly food products, in Brazil’s case—was planned and was supposed to gradually end over the years. However, President Nicolás Maduro’s regime decided to reinstate the charge.

“On Friday the 18th, we were surprised by the full collection of the ad valorem tax (levied on the price of the product). We don’t know if it was for political or technical reasons, or if it was an error on their part,” Oestreicher told O GLOBO, adding that he requested assistance from the Brazilian Embassy in Caracas.

📉 Relations between Venezuela and Brazil have been strained since July of last year because the Brazilian government did not recognize the result of Nicolás Maduro’s election. The election was widely questioned by the opposition, and Maduro never presented documents proving his victory.

🔗 Source: O Globo
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