Bolivia raises tariffs on 94 products, but exempts those from Mercosur or Andean Community

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Vice Minister of Domestic Trade, Gróver Lacoa, stated this Wednesday (2) that Supreme Decree (DS) 4573, which establishes the increase of import tariffs for 94 products as of this month, does not apply to countries with which Bolivia has trade agreements or treaties.

However, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, which have such agreements, are precisely the countries where smuggled goods enter due to lower prices.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Bolivia

“This measure does not reach those countries with which the country, with which Bolivia has signed trade agreements and treaties (at present),” he said in an interview with the Bolivisión network.

He explained that the increase in import tariffs does not apply to countries such as Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela, which are members of the Andean Community (CAN), the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), and others.

Last week, the government enacted this regulation, which increases import tariffs for 94 products starting this month, benefiting 2,934 domestic companies.

Lacoa explained that the regulation increases import tariffs for products in three groups: food and beverages, industrial supplies, and final consumer goods, such as dairy products, chocolates, fruit juices, wooden doors, carpets, and toys.

“We are issuing a supreme decree to protect our national industry (…). What we want is to progressively and systematically replace imports with local production,” he emphasized.

The supreme decree was enacted on Wednesday, August 25, and will be in force from this Wednesday, September 1, until December 31, 2022.

However, the country’s domestic industry insists on greater control at the borders with neighboring countries, because the damage caused by smuggling – estimated at US$3 billion a year – has tripled in recent years, according to Ibo Blazicevic, president of the National Chamber of Industries.

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