Brazil is a country with a high tax burden and a complex tax system.
There are Federal, State and City taxes over a company’s operation, as well as social security and labor charges. There are also specific charges over the functioning of customs system and taxes related to specific operations, such as inbound and outbound wire transfers.
Depending on the kind of operation the company practices, specific taxes will apply. A service providing company, for instance, will be directly taxed for ISS (service tax, generally 5% of gross revenue). A sales company, on the other hand, will be instead taxed by ICMS (a VAT-like state tax, generally 19% minus credits on previous operations).
Taxes paid to clear customs may be recoverable or not. This will depend on company taxation system (for federal taxes), destination of the imported item (manufacturing, consumption, resale).