60% (II) with 18% (ICMS) on top for a total of +88% are the import tariffs for individuals buying devices for personal use, and small businesses using simplified postal/courier regimes.

The tariffs for commercial importations are much lower and depend on the part. For SSDs, for example, II is around 10%. With other fees and ICMS, you're looking at around +60% total. Still high, but not nearly as high.

But large businesses would rather really prefer if you continued to believe they pay +88% just like you. That way they get to point at the government while keeping their fat margins.

> But large businesses would rather really prefer if you continued to believe they pay +88% just like you. That way they get to point at the government while keeping their fat margins.

And, in the meantime, they help push for more "grift-friendly" politicians. For them, it's a win-win situation.

> 60% (II) with 18% (ICMS) on top for a total of +88%

Nope. ICMS is calculated "por dentro". It's base / (1 - rate), not base * rate.

     Product = 100
          II =  60
             = 160

  ICMS total = 160 / (1 - 0.18)
             = 195.12

        ICMS = 195.12 - 160
             = 35.12

That's +95.12% tax. Also known as nearly 100% tax. One for me, one for the government.

> The tariffs for commercial importations are much lower and depend on the part.

Fair point, but they're sure as hell not "much" lower. As you yourself noted, they are still high, and obviously those companies are going to want to add their own margins on top.

Doesn't Dell, HP, and a number of others have manufacturing in Brazil under better tax regimes for the parts? I remember one of the points of the Zona Franca de Manaus was that - build a factory and enjoy tax breaks mostly for your imports.

Apart from that, this is something that affects the HN crowd and almost nobody else.

For some definition of "manufacturing". More like final assembly. Brazil hasn't attempted to create its own computer technology since the military dictatorship. For example, there are no brazilian semiconductor fabs that would be even remotely competitive with the current state of the art.