Riachuelo's CEO says that the "blouse tax" is the wrong name and that it should be called "Chinese incentive."

Riachuelo’s CEO says that the “blouse tax” is the wrong name and that it should be called “Chinese incentive.”

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 17/04/2026 at 22:41

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The chairman of the Guararapes Group, Flávio Rocha, controller of Riachuelo, stated on Friday (17) that calling the 20% tax on international purchases of up to US$ 50 the “blusinhas tax” is a mistake. For the businessman, the correct name would be “Chinese incentive,” since repealing the charge would directly benefit platforms like Shein and Shopee to the detriment of Brazilian industry and retail.

The statement was made in an interview with the Painel S.A. column of Folha de S.Paulo and comes at a time when the federal government is openly discussing the possibility of revoking or reducing the tax before the October elections. The Minister of Planning, Simone Tebet, has argued that the fiscal impact of the reversal would be “manageable.” The Minister of Communication, Sidônio Palmeira, also supports the measure as a way to improve the income perception of the population.

The blusinhas tax came into effect in August 2024 as part of the Remessa Conforme program. According to Folha de S. Paulo, international purchases of up to US$ 50, which were previously exempt, now incur a 20% import tax. For amounts between US$ 50 and US$ 3,000, the rate reaches 60%, with a fixed discount of US$ 20, in addition to the state ICMS of 17% to 20%. In 2025, the government collected a record amount of R$ 5 billion from this tax. In 2024, it was R$ 2.88 billion.

Why is Riachuelo against the repeal?

Research from BTG Pactual shows that, even with the tax in effect, Shein is still 6% cheaper than Riachuelo, 10% cheaper than Renner, and 13% cheaper than C&A in a comparable basket of eight products.

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Without the tax, this difference would return to the levels of 2023, when competition from Asian platforms hurt sales and closed stores in Brazilian retail.

The numbers for the second quarter of 2025, the first full period after the taxation, show the positive impact of the measure on the national retail sector:

Riachuelo reported a profit of R$ 143 million (up 151%), C&A reported a profit of R$ 200 million (up 139%), and Renner recorded R$ 404.5 million (up 28%).

Repealing the tax would put these results at risk.

On the other hand, research from AtlasIntel in partnership with Bloomberg shows that 62% of Brazilians consider the blusinhas tax a government mistake, compared to 30% who approve of it.

Data from Plano CDE indicates that the consumption of imported goods by classes C, D, and E fell by 35% between June 2024 and April 2025, a period that coincides with the implementation of the charge. For low-income families, the tax made products that were previously affordable more expensive.

The former Minister of Finance Fernando Haddad had already stated that the decision to tax was made by the governors, not by President Lula, and that it had unanimous approval in Congress.

With Haddad’s departure from the ministry, the political wing of the government gained space to propose the repeal.

There are two bills being processed in the Chamber to eliminate the tax, one by Ricardo Ayres (Republicanos-TO) and another by Kim Kataguiri (União-SP).

With elections in October and declining popularity, the government faces a dilemma: maintaining the tax protects the industry and Brazilian jobs, but irritates 62% of voters.

Repealing pleases consumers, but could devastate the national retail sector. Comment below: are you for or against the tax on blouses?

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Riachuelo’s CEO says that the “blouse tax” is the wrong name and that it should be called “Chinese incentive.”

Why is Riachuelo against the repeal?

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Riachuelo’s CEO says that the “blouse tax” is the wrong name and that it should be called “Chinese incentive.”

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