At a meeting on Friday, April 1st, the Brazilian and Paraguayan governments decided on measures for the control of border trade and crossings, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations (Itamaraty) informed.
The agreement encompasses measures to prevent black-marketing, redefine the conditions of circulation and work on the border, and refurbish the International Friendship Bridge.
One of the measures, according to the Itamaraty note, is to increase the duty-free quota for purchases made by Brazilian tourists in border cities from US$ 150 to US$ 300.
The quota applies only to personal consumer items entering Brazil by land or river routes and cannot be used for commercial purposes. The new quota will go into effect within approximately 15 days and will also apply to other border countries.
The Itamaraty informed that increasing the quota is intended “to encourage greater tourist flows to the border region.” The two governments plan to intensify their activities to promulgate and clarify the new rules to merchants and tourists.
The Paraguayan government also pledged to impose more effective controls to make sure that receipts are issued for products that leave the country.
The note explains that the measures include a series of commitments to combat illegal activities, especially contraband, embezzlement (evasion of taxes and customs duties) and other customs violations, piracy, drug and arms trafficking, and money-laundering.
The two governments also pledged to establish programs to combat human trafficking and exploitation, especially child prostitution.
The commitments that were signed will be evaluated by the two governments within a period of 180 days.
Translation: David Silberstein
Agência Brasil