Brazil Imposes Antidumping Duties on Steel, Adjusts Tariffs on Industrial Inputs

Brazil’s Foreign Trade Chamber said on Wednesday (Jan. 28) that its Executive Management Committee (Gecex) approved a set of tariff changes aimed at supporting the competitiveness of domestic industry. The measures include definitive antidumping duties on imported steel as well as tax exemptions for medicines and key industrial inputs.

As part of its trade defense strategy, Gecex confirmed the application of five-year antidumping duties on imports of pre-painted steel from China and India, citing artificially low prices that have hurt Brazilian producers.

The committee also raised import tariffs to 25% on nine steel product categories, identified under Brazil’s Mercosur Common Nomenclature (NCM), for a 12-month period. The move is intended to protect the domestic steel sector amid global oversupply.

At the same time, Gecex approved zero import tariffs for a list of essential products, seeking to lower production costs and ease access to healthcare. The exemptions include a drug used to treat depression and inputs for the chemical, textile and agricultural sectors.

The panel also approved changes to tariffs on capital goods and information technology and telecommunications equipment, focusing on products that already have domestic manufacturing in Brazil. The goal, the government said, is to strengthen local supply chains while remaining in line with World Trade Organization rules.

For goods that are not produced domestically, Brazil will continue to apply its ex-tariff regime, which allows imports to enter at a zero tariff rate.

A transition period was set for products that currently face zero tariffs but are not covered by the ex-tariff system. The new rules will take effect on March 1, giving importers time to apply for the special regime. During the review process, which is expected to take about 120 days, provisional approval may be granted.

Source: Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC)

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