The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) released a report on the ongoing trade investigation against Brazil, in which it points to practices it described as unfair between the countries.
These include import charges, considered “relatively high”, across a wide range of sectors, including automobiles,
automotive parts, electronics, steel and clothing. The White House also criticized Pix and the March 25 falsifications.
“Brazil’s bound rates are often much higher than applied rates and U.S. exporters face significant uncertainty in the Brazilian market because the government often
modifies tariff rates within Mercosur’s flexibilities”, says the report.
According to the American government, the lack of predictability in relation to tariff rates makes it difficult for American exporters to predict the costs of doing business in Brazil.
Regarding the Pix instant payment method, created in 2020, the document points out as an obstacle the fact that the Brazilian Central Bank “owns, operates and regulates” the payment system.
According to the report, “American stakeholders expressed concern about the fact that the Central Bank of Brazil would grant preferential treatment to Pix.”
Another flaw pointed out by the White House in relation to the country is piracy. The document specifically mentions Rua 25 de Março, in São Paulo, known for the sale of counterfeit products.
“Brazil remained on the 2025 Special Report 301 Watch List. Despite improvements in recent years, such as some campaigns to combat online piracy, enforcement challenges persist, including the
lack of dissuasive penalties and high levels of counterfeiting and piracy online and in physical markets”, says the USTR.
In addition to Brazil, other countries were mentioned in the most recent report on unfair practices committed against the American economy. On March 13, the US Trade Representative’s office announced the opening of a new investigation against Brazil and dozens of nations.
