Ford to pay $495 million to Brazilian state of Bahia - report

[June 17, 2021]  SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Ford Motor will pay roughly 2.5 billion reais ($495 million) to the state of Bahia after deciding to close its plants in Brazil, newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported on Thursday.

The Ford logo is seen at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

The payment aims at reimburse Bahia for all subsidies Ford has received since it opened a plant in the town of Camacari in 2001, the report added, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Ford did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the matter. The Estado newspaper said Ford declined to comment on the matter.

In January, Ford decided to close its three plants in Brazil and take pretax charges of about $4.1 billion. Reuters in a report in May found Ford had spent almost $12 billion in Brazil.

($1 = 5.0545 reais)

(Reporting by Carolina Mandl; editing by Jason Neely)

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