Importers Take Tax Whack in Brazil

SAO PAULO – Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who worked in the automotive industry as a labor union head, worked to expand the industry during his 8-year presidency that ended in 2010.

Incumbent President Dilma Rousseff, pressured by the powerful farm lobby, is focusing more on agriculture exports.

Meanwhile, another lobby, the National Assn. of Vehicle Manufacturers, persuaded the government to raise by 35% the industrial-products tax on imported ...