Category: Living in Brazil

At Work in Brazil: No Point Complaining About the Government’s Red Tape – Expat – WSJ

il: No Point Complaining About the Government’s Red Tape

One of author Paulo Trevisani’s old Brazilian carteira de trabalhos. Paulo Trevisani

One of author Paulo Trevisani’s old Brazilian carteira de trabalhos. Paulo Trevisani

BRASILIA — The woman sitting next to me in the airplane heading to Brasilia from Salvador was a Brazilian executive planning to set up shop in the U.S. She said she was fed up with Brazil’s difficult business environment.

I mentioned that my experience working in the U.S. had involved relatively little bureaucratic red tape and that there was no American version of Brazil’s ubiquitous “Carteira de Trabalho” (work book) containing proof and basic terms of employment.

 

Source: At Work in Brazil: No Point Complaining About the Government’s Red Tape – Expat – WSJ

Management the Brazilian way!

The Brazilian samba school: Delivering high performance with happiness!

Management the Brazilian Way

Management the Brazilian Way

Many foreign corporations dealing with Brazilians complain about low productivity, poor communication, high turnover and lack of engagement. Yet, at samba schools, Brazilian members show the opposite, and for no pay too!

Online course

This is an online course in English addressed to business people who work with Brazilians.

To show what is missing at corporate management Alfredo Behrens has researched and interviewed at samba schools. He has elicited the people management practices and leadership styles that can be implemented at corporations to achieve higher profitability with greater happiness. Much of the course is drawn from subtitled interviews with genuine samba school members and can be easily transferred to corporations, like recruiting, selection and promotion techniques, even compensation ones, though samba schools do not pay members.

High performance with happiness can be achieved in Brazil following the samba school method of management!

The self-paced course is designed for executives. It consists of 14 lectures but they are short: 7 minutes each. They can be fitted between phone calls if necessary. Altogether we are talking of just over one and a half hours of lectures. Each lecture comes with additional reading material and quizzes to measure the participants’ understanding. The course will remain free, for sure, until November 14, when all 14 lectures will have been completed. At present only the wrap-up lecture is missing. But you can fully benefit for free from the rest, 13 out of 14 lectures! That is all there is between you and success!Management the Brazilian Way can be found here. Once there you may click on This course and you will be taken to the course´s landing page, enrol free, no credit card asked, and start learning.

In below video, sponsored by the Dutch Brazilian Chamber of Commerce you will get an idea of the course content.

 

About Alfredo Behrens

Alfredo Behrens holds a PhD by the University of Cambridge, has taught at Princeton University and is an expert on Cross-Cultural Management and Leadership, which he lectures on at FIA, the São Paulo business school. His book ‘Culture and Management in the Americas’ is published by Stanford University Press. Another book: ‘Shooting Heroes and Rewarding Cowards’ is praised by Suzy Welch, the former Editor-In-Chief of Harvard Business Review as ‘Fascinating and Innovative’.

For more information, contact: Alfredo Behrens, e-mail: ab@alfredobehrens.com Brazil land line phone: +55 11 38280554 or mobile +5511991339779

 

Brazilian Ebooks: Cheaper, but Not as Cheap as Expected

Kindle for sale in Brazil at R$299

Kindle for sale in Brazil at R$299

Publisher fear cheap e-books

They’re finally here: Amazon, Kobo and Google have joined veterans Saraiva, Buqui, Gato Sabido and others in Brazil’s digital publishing market. But all that journalists, consumers and publishers wanted to talk about was the price of ebooks on sale. They noted, with much chagrin, that while Brazilian ebooks are cheaper, they are not as cheap as expected.  Continue reading

Remittances from Brazil with Bitcoin and Save Huge!

Step-by-step guide for remittances from Brazil

Bitcoin, the engine for remittances

Bitcoin, the engine for remittances

Making a remittance from and to Brazil is not as easy as compared to many other countries. It is a very cumbersome process, often surrounded by a lot of red tape, incompetent and uninterested banks, high fees and very unattractive exchange rates.

This guide will detail step-by-step on how to set up your own Bitcoin bank, transfer the funds you have in your bank to anywhere in the world in about an hour and at a very low-cost.

What is Bitcoin

Bitcoins are a digital token or commodity accepted by groups or people in exchange for services. Bitcoin is the world’s first decentralized means of wealth transfer and as such, incorruptible. The prolific implications of this new technology are astounding.

Bitcoin is still an experimental new digital currency that enables instant payments to anyone, anywhere in the world. Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to work with no central authority: managing transactions and issuing money are carried out collectively by the network. Bitcoin is also the name of the open source software which enables the use of this currency.

Q. What is Bitcoin?

A. Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer currency. Peer-to-peer means that no central authority issues new money or tracks transactions. These tasks are managed collectively by the network.

Bitcoin offers many advantages over traditional and other electronic currencies. Nobody owns or controls the Bitcoin economy. Utilising an ingenious decentralized structure, Bitcoin relies on cryptography and mathematics to make sure security and reliability. It is secure, reliable and eliminates almost all overhead seen in traditional banking.

Why?

  • Bitcoins are sent easily through the Internet, without needing to trust any third-party.
  • Transactions:
    • Are irreversible by design
    • Are fast. Funds received are available for spending within minutes.
    • Cost very little, especially compared to other payment networks.
  • The supply of Bitcoins is regulated by software and the agreement of users of the system and cannot be manipulated by any government, bank, organization or individual. The limited inflation of the Bitcoin system’s money supply is distributed evenly (by CPU power) to miners who help secure the network.

Is it legal?

This is a very good question, and to be honest I don’t know. I am neither a lawyer nor a judge, so I won’t give you any legal advise here. I would welcome any insight from Brazilian lawyers on this subject.

The only intention of this guide is to show you a method on how somebody could make a remittance at very low costs and almost instantaneously. The only thing I am 100% sure of is that Bitcoin is an extreme disruptive technology, which has the potential to fundamentally change the current worldwide corrupt financial system. There will be no place for the MoneyGrams and WesternUnions of this world.

More information

One of the best sources to start with is with the Bitcoin Wiki.  A wealth of information in many languages can be found at this wiki. If you would like to dive a bit deeper have a look at this Bitcoin forum.

Have great fun with the Step-by-step guide for remittances from Brazil

Step by step guide

 

Step 1) Open an account at one of the larger Bitcoin exchanges: Mt.Gox or Intersango;

Step 2) Open an account at MercadoBitcoin, or buy your Bitcoins at a cash exchanger at localbitcoins; The following steps only refer to MercadoBitcoin and Mt Gox

Step 3) Verify your Mt.Gox account and MercadoBitcoin account by scanning and sending a photo ID and utility bill. This may take a business day or two, but will not have to be repeated for future transactions;

Step 4) Deposit your Brazilian Reais on the bank account of MercadoBitcoin. Detailed instructions will be sent to you;

Step 5) Once the funds are added to your MercadoBitcoin account, buy Bitcoins by clicking “comprar” and entering your order. You will be charged 0.65%;

Step 6) Using the withdrawal (Retirado) page on MercadoBitcoin, send the Bitcoins you bought to your Bitcoin address on Mt Gox (this will take about an hour to complete, as the Bitcoin network verifies the transaction;

Step 7) Sell your Bitcoins on MtGox for US$, Swiss Francs,Yen or Euro. You will be charged between 0.4 and 0.6%;

Step 8) Withdraw your position using either vouchers, bank transfers, transfer for free your Bitcoins to your own localbitcoins cash exchanger . Withdraw fees vary by method.

Done.

Of course there are many varieties on the above guide. I really hope this information has value to you. If you believe it has something new to you, something which you haven’t heard from before and will bring you a bit more freedom, I will appreciate if you make a small donation to keep this voluntary blog up and running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[warning]

Bitcoins do hold a value. Keep them safe. Holding huge amounts on your Bitcoin wallet is just not smart. Loosing your PC or iPhone with your wallet means most likely you have lost your Bitcoins as well. Secure your wallet and your PC.

Walking in Brazil with large amounts of cash is extremely risky. Even the Central Bank is not immune to bank robbery. Just don’t do it. Use electronic bank transfers instead. If you work with localbitcoins make sure you build a trusted relationship with your seller of Bitcoins.

Don’t spend more on exchanges as you can afford to lose. Think about your kids, your husband or man.

[/warning]

 

 

Legal disclaimer

MasterclassBrazil DOES NOT GIVE LEGAL OPINIONS

MasterclassBrazil contains articles on many legal topics; however, no warranty whatsoever is made that any of the articles are accurate. There is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained in an article touching on legal matters is true, correct or precise. Law varies from place to place and it evolves over time—sometimes quite quickly. Even if a statement made about the law is accurate, it may only be accurate in the jurisdiction of the person posting the information; as well, the law may have changed, been modified or overturned by subsequent development since the entry was made on MasterclassBrazil.

The legal information provided on MasterclassBrazil is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice of a licensed professional, i.e., by a competent authority with specialised knowledge who can apply it to the particular circumstances of your case. Please contact a local bar association, law society or similar association of jurists in your legal jurisdiction to obtain a referral to a competent legal professional if you do not have other means of contacting an attorney-at-law, lawyer, civil law notary, barrister or solicitor.

Neither the individual contributors, system operators, developers, nor sponsors of Wikipedia nor anyone else connected to Wikipedia can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information or disinformation presented on this web site.

Nothing on MasterclassBrazil  should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a legal opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of law.

Public-sector pay in Brazil: Shaming the unshameable | The Economist

 

How the bureaucrats rob the taxpayers

How the bureaucrats rob the taxpayers

Public-sector pay in Brazil: Shaming the unshameable | The Economist

When his time as São Paulo’s mayor finishes at the end of the year, jokes Gilberto Kassab, he will look for work in the garages of the city’s municipal assembly. This month the city’s legislature published, for the first time, the salaries of some of its 2,000 employees. Half the 700 people named, paulistanos were surprised to learn, take home more each month than the assembly’s chairman, who earns 7,223 reais ($3,508) after tax.

Facebook Blasts into Top Position

Facebook Blasts into Top Position in Brazilian Social Networking Market Following Year of Tremendous Growth – comScore, Inc.

Facebook Brazil

Facebook Brazil

São Paulo, Brazil, January 17, 2012 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data showing that Facebook assumed the top place in the Brazilian social networking market following a year of exceptional growth. In December 2011, Facebook.com attracted 36.1 million visitors – representing an increase of 192 percent in the past twelve months – to surpass Orkut as the leading social networking destination in the market.

“Facebook’s rapid ascent in the Brazilian market has certainly been one of the most interesting stories to develop during the course of 2011,” said Alex Banks, comScore managing director for Brazil. “Brazil has always been a particularly social market and now owns the fifth largest social networking population in the world. But despite the cultural affinity for social media, Facebook adoption had traditionally lagged in the market. That has all changed in the past year, during which the site has tripled in audience size as engagement has grown sevenfold to assume the leadership position in the market.”

Facebook.com, Orkut and Windows Live Profile Lead Social Networking Rankings

Results from the recent comScore study It’s a Social World revealed that Brazil was one of just seven markets (including China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Poland and Russia) where Facebook did not lead the local social networking class according to October 2011 data.

In December 2011, however, Facebook.com finally secured the top place in Brazil’s social networking ranking with 36.1 million visitors age 6 and older accessing the site from a home or work computer, nearly tripling in audience size in the past year. Orkut, which fell to the #2 place with 34.4 million visitors, still managed to grow its audience 5 percent in the past year despite Facebook’s growing prominence. Windows Live Profile ranked third with 13.3 million visitors (up 13 percent), while Twitter.com ranked fourth with 12.5 million visitors (up 40 percent).

 

“Brazilians are ruining FACEBOOK …”

"CNN says that Mark is saddened by the behavior of Brazilian Facebook"

“CNN says that Mark is saddened by the behavior of the Brazilian at Facebook”

The news channel CNN said that the behavior of the Brazilians on the social network site Facebook is saddening Mark Zuckerberg. “On the one hand, Brazilians are growing Facebook, however they ruin everything,” he said.

Facebook engineers were considering allowing the inclusion of images in the format animated GIF-pictures (moving images), but Mark refused the idea because he has seen the behaviour of Brazilians at the social network site Orkut, which is loaded wioth animated gif’s.

According to Mark, if Facebook make room for the gifs, sharing among users will be equal to the Brazilian Orkut, full of colorful moving letters, loaded with messages of affection and love.

 

Closing Facebook in Brazil

On the possibility of closing the Facebook in Brazil, Mark drops . “I will not blame the Brazilians use the network, but will create a manual of behavior.”

When asked about Facebook is turning into a Orkut in Brazil, Mark said that there is no difference between social networks, the difference is Who uses. “Any service that has the Internet users in Brazil, in large proportions, it becomes a problem,” he said.

 

[important]

Source: G17.com.br

Note of the editor: This article has been published in Portuguese on the site G17.com.br. So, please don’t take this serious. It has been republished by many serious news websites in Brazil. However, for those of you intending to do business and want to learn about the culture you might be interested to read the various comments been made by the readers.

[/important]

 

Brazilian government taking a big chunck from a $100.000 salary

Effective tax rates

KPMG Study Effective tax rates

KPMG Study Effective tax rates

Brazilian government takes 40%  from a $100,000 salary?

BRAZIL has a income tax of 27.5% for a person earning $100,000, according to a survey of effective tax rates in 93 countries published on September 29th by KPMG, an accounting firm. But employee social-security contributions in Brazil are 12%, and once such contributions are taken into account, high earners in Brazil will take home 62% of their salary. Brazilian high earners will still take home more than several countries, including Belgium, Greece, Germany and France. Belgium’s government grabs the highest share from earnings of $100,000, at almost 48%.

Incomes in Brazil

Brazilian income tax rate bracket of 27,5% starts at salaries above R$ 3911,63. With inflation at almost 7% one can expect salaries will increase next year, pushing more tax payers in the higher bracket. The unions are propping up for higher salaries. At the moment the government owned banks are striking, in several states teachers and police are striking for better working conditions and higher salaries. A significant shortage of qualified and skilled labour force and high demand as a result of the relative strong economy and implemented government (protectionism) programs will push salaries further.

Just a few years ago salaries of R$ were very exceptional, but a recent survey of DataFolha shows that more and more categories have moved in to this salary scale over the last couple of years.

The good news is that more taxes income is available for the government to implement the much need infrastructure, social and education programs. The challenge is the execution power of the various governmental powers to implement the plans in budget and on time. The real bad news is that higher salaries are pushing inflation. Not only will the cost of production increase, but also consumer demand will increase. In the overheated economy (some already signaling a bubble) producers will be able to raise prices of their products. In a few critical branches of the economy this is further supported by the government to frustrate foreign direct investment. The clearest example is the recent increase by 30% of the import taxes on cars not produced in Brazil. With the major economies in the world suffering, one might ask himself whether Brazil will escape a financial crises.

 

 

 

 

Visas

PLEASE ALL FOREIGN PASSPORT HOLDERS CONSULT THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR ALL INFORMATION REGARDING THE NEED OR EXEMPTION OF VISAS TO BRAZIL. A PDF TABLE WILL BE DOWNLOADED. Click here

Depending on the purpose of visit and on the visitor’s nationality, a visa is not required to enter Brazil. EU citizens on a tourism or business trip to Brazil, for instance, are exempt. For other cases, check below at “How to apply for a visa” whether you are exempt or not. Even if you are exempt from a visa, on arrival in Brazil you must produce a passport valid for at least six months.

Argentinians, Bolivians, Chileans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, Paraguayans, Peruvians and Uruguayans are exempt from passport requirement to enter Brazil as tourists. Nationals from these countries may simply produce their national identity cards instead.

Additionally, you may be required by the Brazilian Migration Police (Polícia Federal) to meet the following conditions:

1) Prove you have sufficient funds for your term of stay.

2) Demonstrate your travel objective (for instance, by means of a hotel reservation and a roundtrip ticket, in case of a tourism trip).

NEW VISA SYSTEM

HOW TO APPLY FOR A VISA

Visas are classified according to the nature of the trip and stay in Brazil.
Most cases of visa application fall under one of the types below.
Please click on the line that best fits your case or send an e-mail to
visas@consbras.nl asking for further instructions on how to apply.

VITUR – tourists
VIPER – investor
VIPER – manager or representative in Brazil of a financial foreign institution
VIPER – head of philanthropic or religious institution or public interest NGO
VIPER- retiree
VIPER – family reunion (marriage)
VIPER – researcher
VITEM I – researcher or exchange students program
VITEM I – voluntary worker
VITEM II – adoption
VITEM II – business trip
VITEM II – filming
VITEM III – artists and sportsmen
VITEM IV – undergraduate, master or doctorate student / internship visa
VITEM V – professional worker
VITEM V – professional on an emergency technical assistance mission
VITEM VI – news correspondents
VITEM VII – ministers of a religious creed or members of a religious congregation

VIDIP and VISOF Diplomatic and Official Visas

AUTHORIZED VISAS
A few kinds of visas (VITEM-III, VITEM-V, VITEM-VI and VIPER) are only issued under authorization from Brazilian home authorities.Click here to check whether the Consulate General has been authorized to issue you a visa.

Emigration to Brazil

Brazilians from the end of the 19th century to...

Image via Wikipedia

Diving into another culture is an exercise of patience, curiosity and common sense. If you plan to spend some time in another country, there is a certain attitude that will benefit you – and several no-nos that might cause you embarrassment or trouble. Certain rules are, of course, universal and would be wise no matter what country you visit. Others are very specific to the Brazilian reality.

Too much sugar, too much salt, lots of food with low nutritious value and three daily cups of coffee. That is on the table of Brazilians, according to a study just released by IBGE, the federal statistics bureau. Even if the balanced and healthy traditional rice-bean-meat menu is still prevalent, the country needs to reconsider its diet. According to IBGE