In the month of January, Brazil’s balance of payments (summarizing the country’s economic transactions with the rest of the world) achieved a US$ 2.005 billion surplus, in consequence of a US$ 818 positive balance in current transactions (flows involving goods and services) and a US$ 1.187 billion surplus in financial accounts (monetary flows between Brazil and the rest of the world).
These figures appear in a report on the Foreign Sector released Febuary 21 by the Central Bank (BC). Emphasis is given to last month’s US$ 2.183 billion trade surplus and the influx of US$ 1.218 billion in foreign investments.
The BC report also notes that Brazil’s international reserves rose US$ 1.087 billion in January, raising the total to US$ 54.022 billion.
According to the BC’s Economic Department, in November, 2004, Brazil’s foreign debt came to US$ 203.527 billion.
Federal Tax
Federal tax collections amounted to US$ 12.379 billion (31.990 billion reais) in January. Compared with January, 2004, this represented a nominal growth of 13.56%. When the figure is corrected for inflation, using the Broad Consumer Price Index (IPCA), the variation comes to 5.73%.
According to data from the Federal Revenue Department, the increased volume of sales in December, 2004, exerted a positive influence on revenue collections in January, since much of what is collected in one month reflects purchases made in the previous month.
Translation: David Silberstein
Agência Brasil
