Brazil recently announced the addition of 132 new items to a list of foreign capital goods and information and telecommunications goods that benefit from reduced duty treatment. As a result of this action, these products will temporarily benefit from a two percent duty rate, down from 11 to 16 percent, effective from 18 May 2009 through 31 December 2010. Capital, information and telecom goods may qualify for this special duty reduction only if there is no domestic production of the subject goods.

The new list includes such items as certain centrifugal pumps, steam/sand blasting machines, lathes for removing metal, machine tools, numerically controlled grinding and sharpening machines, forging or die-stamping machines, punching or notching machines, machines for working wire, moulding machinery, cinematography digital cameras, instruments and apparatus using optical radiations, test benches and machines for balancing mechanical parts, among many other products. These items must have certain characteristics in order to qualify for reduced duty treatment.