Due to the multiplicity of taxes and rates and to the incidence on inputs, the final effect of the Brazilian indirect tax system on prices is far from transparent. Using a method that incorporates the multisector effects of indirect taxes, this paper calculates, for Brazil, the effective incidence of these taxes on the different components of final demand. The results show that activities for which there is an explicit exemption policy are in fact significantly taxed, indicating that the final incidence may be quite different from that advocated by tax policy makers or wished by society.
