Oh, didn't even know that is a thing in Brazil. So, they go abroad just to buy stuff?
It's really a balancing act. At one end you want to keep industries at home to have people employed but at the same time you want those people to be able to make the most out of their income with cheap goods.
It may not always be worth it to go abroad just to buy things, but it is very very common for them to buy thing when they go abroad. The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report said that Brazil's tariffs on imports is 11.5%. This is very significant if you're buying a big ticket item.
I found another
site with countries that have even higher tariffs:
Bahamas 18.56%
Gabon 16.93%
Chad 16.36%
Bermuda 15.39%
Central African Republic 14.51%
Grenada 12.41%
St. Kitts and Nevis 12.28%
Antigua and Barbuda 11.88%
Nepal 11.66%
Benin 11.57%
This is usually the kind of thing that developing countries do. Some countries even have 0% import tax.