The government of Brazil eliminates import tax on cheeses and 5 other foods to contain inflation

The government announced this Monday (21) that it has zeroed the import tax on ethanol and six basic food products to try to contain inflation, including cheese. The impact on public coffers is estimated at R$ 1 billion per year. In addition to cheese, the measure covers coffee, margarine, noodles, sugar and soy oil and is valid until the end of the year. According to the Ministry of Economy, these are items that register above-average price growth in the last 12 months. Inflation is one of the main concerns of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who is expected to seek re-election this year, and is felt above all in the pocket of the poorest electorate. Lucas Ferraz, Foreign Trade Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, says that the acceleration of inflation has been generated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and that the scenario could worsen with the war in Europe. "Since last year, inflation has become a problem of a global nature. This was the result of the post-Covid global ...