Business · Economy · 5 hrs ago
Brazil’s industry group proposes reforms to cut business costs
Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry wants reforms to reduce costs that make it harder for companies to compete.
The group says the so-called Custo Brasil, or “Brazil Cost,” amounts to about R$1.7 trillion a year, roughly 20% of the country’s economy.
It includes burdens such as high taxes and interest rates, bureaucracy, weak infrastructure and legal uncertainty.
In a survey of 1,002 industrial business owners, 70% named taxes as the main problem, while 62% cited difficulty finding qualified workers.
77% said these costs raise product prices, and the group says consumers bear part of the burden.
The confederation supports Brazil’s approved consumption-tax reform, now being implemented, and also wants lower company-profit tax rates and simpler tax rules.
Its wider agenda includes improvements to business financing, worker training, infrastructure and legal certainty.
Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry (CNI) is proposing reforms to reduce costs and obstacles that limit business competitiveness.
The CNI says the so-called Brazil Cost amounts to about R$1.7 trillion a year, or approximately 20% of Brazil’s gross domestic product.
In a survey commissioned by the CNI, 70% of industrial business owners named tax payments as the main problem associated with the Brazil Cost.
The CNI’s proposals include reducing corporate profit tax rates and modernising tax rules.
The group says the reforms could make businesses more competitive and help lower prices for consumers.
- Who
- Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry (CNI).
- What
- It proposed reforms to reduce business costs and obstacles to competitiveness.
- When
- The article was published on October 30, 2026. The survey cited was conducted from July 14 to August 7, 2025.
- Where
- Brazil.
- Why
- The CNI says taxes, bureaucracy, high interest rates, weak infrastructure and legal uncertainty make production more expensive and limit growth.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Nexus Institute surveyed 1,002 industrial business owners for the CNI.
Estadão published an article on the CNI’s proposals to reduce obstacles to competitiveness.
- Estimated annual Brazil Cost
- R$1.7 trillion
- Share of GDP
- Approximately 20%
- Survey respondents citing tax payments
- 70%
- Survey respondents citing difficulty hiring qualified workers
- 62%
- Combined IRPJ and CSLL rate in Brazil
- Up to 34%
- OECD average combined corporate tax rate
- 23.3%
What people are saying
We need to reduce the Brazil Cost to promote the competitiveness of industry and a more efficient business environment, stimulating Brazilian industry in both the domestic and foreign markets. This allows Brazilians to access cheaper products and improve their quality of life.