The exchange of barbs between the construction industry and steelmakers will have new chapters this week, after the government’s decision to reduce the tax on rebar imports.
The construction cooperative CooperconSC, which had already been bringing steel shipments last year together with the CBIC (Brazilian Chamber of the Construction Industry), made a video that it called “Operação Aço Turco” to invite companies interested in making a joint purchase of steel abroad.
Last year, a group of nearly 140 developers brought in two cargoes from Turkey. There were about 40 thousand tons.
As anticipated by the SA Panel, the sector was already moving to re-import steel in order to circumvent the rise in input prices in the domestic market, even before the tax cut.
Last Wednesday (11), the government reduced from 10.8% to 4% the import tax on two types of rebar, contrary to steelmakers, who wanted to remove the input from the list of items that would have their tariff cut.
The Instituto Aço Brasil, which represents companies such as Gerdau and Usiminas, even accused the construction companies of bringing wrong information to Minister Paulo Guedes to convince the government that Brazilian steel is too expensive.
Joana Cunha with Andressa Motter and Paulo Ricardo Martins
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