Is this 'Tax evasion'?
I really am not sure if this is the right place to post, so I will gladly delete my question if it is the wrong place.
I have a friend over in Brazil that wants to buy a few things online on Amazon, but items are very heavily taxed if bought from another country (~50% tax), so my friend wants to send me the money, have me buy these things in The United States, and then ship it over to him internationally via USPS. Is this some sort of tax-evasion? Is this something I should worry about doing?
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In addition to filling out the USPS custom forms, you will have to consider what the Brazilians allow for mailing into the country:
Amusing that the items you are mailing are not on the prohibited list. The list ranges from money and weapons. to Playing cards and Primary educational books not written in Portuguese.
You still have to be careful.
Observations
Brazil reserves the right to collect a “presentation-to-Customs charge” from customers for any item submitted to customs control, even
if no customs charges are levied.
Import licenses are required for many kinds of goods and senders should ascertain from the addressee before mailing that the necessary
documents are held.
Imports are allowed by mail, including mail order catalog shipments, up to a value of U.S. 0 (U.S. ,000 for computer
software) without the requirement of an import license provided the
item is not for resale. Shipments valued at no more than U.S. are
duty free and are delivered to the addressee; shipments above U.S.
can be picked up at the post office upon payment of import duties.
Imports that are prohibited or subject to special regulations must
comply with applicable Brazilian government provisions. Identical
shipments from the same source to the same person or address in Brazil
within a 90 day period are considered part of the same shipment and
may be subject to confiscation. Other merchandise that usually enters
duty free includes items such as newspapers, maps, books, and
magazines.
Shipments for which an import permit has not been issued are considered contraband and confiscated.
Shipments that do not indicate the applicable postage and fees on PS Form 2976-A will hinder the customs clearance process, causing
delays to clear the items.
Used consumer goods may only be sent to charitable organizations that are recognized by the Brazilian government as being entities
which serve the public interest.
Which means that you will have fill out the form, they will have to fill out forms, and they will pay the import duty when they pick it up at the pot office. Unless they were aking you to not declare the contents and value correctly.
This is called "import duty", and it is based on the value of the goods imported. The one to pay the duty is the importer/receiver. As long as you fill the correct information (including the description and value of the items sent) on the USPS customs form (which you'll have to attach to your USPS shipment), you're good to go.
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