Damascus- Yesterday, Saturday, the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports in the Syrian caretaker government issued the unified customs duties bulletin that will be applied to all customs secretariats in the country.
The bulletin included fees on imported foodstuffs, such as flour and oils of all kinds, canned food, slaughtered animals, and some types of vegetables and fruits, in addition to fuel, and the raw materials needed for construction such as cement, bricks, and wood, in addition to mobile phones and other imported goods.
A number of merchants and industrialists in various regions of the country called, through their pages on social networking sites, for a general strike following the issuance of the customs bulletin, which, according to merchants and industrialists, will raise the prices of most materials imported from abroad, including the raw materials needed for industry, which will increase… It costs production, and will lead to an increase in the prices of most commodities in the markets, while citizens suffer from a significant weakness in purchasing power.
A source in the Ministry of Economy told Al Jazeera Net, “The responsible authorities have opened the door for industrialists and merchants to express their objections to the items contained in the bulletin for discussion, re-examination, and perhaps amendment.”
Support for sectors
For his part, the Director of Relations at the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports, Mazen Alloush, said in a statement to the Syrian News Agency (SANA) on Saturday that the new bulletin takes into account the protection of the local product by encouraging industrialists by reducing fees on raw materials, and by implementing the agricultural calendar concerned with supporting the sector. Agricultural.
Alloush added that the bulletin aims to support the industrial sector and attract investment, by providing exemptions to investors and factory owners who left the country due to war conditions in order to return their investments to the country, or enter new integrated factories.
He pointed out that the bulletin had reduced the fees that were in effect during the era of the ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s regime by 50% to 60%, which will directly affect citizens throughout the Syrian geography by enhancing their purchasing power and securing their needs at reasonable prices.
Alloush stressed that the bulletin is the first step in a series of measures aimed at raising the citizen’s standard of living, supporting the industrial and agricultural sectors, and attracting local and foreign investments.
Resentments and claims
Through posts on social media, Syrians expressed their dissatisfaction with the items included in the customs duties, while merchants and industrialists demanded that the caretaker government withdraw from imposing customs duties on fuel, some consumer and food goods, building materials, and raw materials used in industries.
Ammar Ibrahim wrote on his personal Facebook account: “We demand… a review of the customs bulletin, as customs cannot be imposed on food and raw materials for construction.”
He wondered: “How will someone who lost his home be able to restore or repair it when he is already suffering from a catastrophic economic situation?” noting that “food and building materials are a red line,” as he put it.
Abu Zaid (52 years old), a trader in the Jazmatiya market in the Al-Midan area in Damascus, told Al Jazeera Net: “The first to be affected by this bulletin are the merchants of northern Syria, but here in Damascus we are also affected in one way or another. For example, we may resort to importing most goods from abroad in foreign currencies if the cost of these goods increases in Syria as a result of the rise in the prices of raw materials, which will increase the prices of local products in general.”
The Damascus merchant added: “We demand that basic goods and materials be neutralized at least from customs duties, taking into account the deteriorating economic and living situation in the country, and the inability of the citizen to secure the most basic needs of living.”
For his part, economic expert Younis Akreem points out that merchants and industrialists are right in their demands, “Paying fees in foreign currencies is now possible as long as the price of the dollar is low in the central bank, but if the exchange rate rises, this will be a fundamental problem.”
As for the reality of local production after imposing these fees, Akram said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net: “There are several materials involved in the formulation and production of local goods, and collecting fees for these materials will lead to an increase in the price of the product, and thus the citizen will become unable even to buy the local product with the collapse of The purchasing power of his salary.
Akram believes that these fees equate luxury goods with basic goods, “which will put pressure on the dollar to deplete it with luxury goods, while the citizen does not have the purchasing power to secure the basic goods that will be offered at high prices.”
Harm to the national industry
Akram warned that the new bulletin may negatively affect industrialists and may push them to close their factories and shops because “the market will witness competition between the local product and the imported product (which will be lower in price), because the industrialist will be forced to import the parts and raw materials involved in manufacturing without any reduction in duties.” In addition to paying the cost of fuel and salaries, which means the industrialist turns into a merchant and the cost of production increases.”
He considered that the planned compound tariffs would have a negative impact on all industrial sectors in Syria today, such as the textile, pharmaceutical, and food industries, in addition to some industries related to building materials and equipment.
The economic expert points out that the industrial infrastructure in Syria is deprived of electricity, and suffers from difficulties in importing materials used in industries, because the sanctions include materials used in reconstruction and several other fields, which constitutes a burden on the industry and its development.
Akram adds that the new fees “did not distinguish between ready-made goods prepared for consumption and goods included in the framework of primary or final production, which will double the pressure on the industrial sector, and prevent the return of industrialists to resettle their industries in Syria, because they will find the costs high compared to the countries abroad where the industrial sector takes place.” It has many advantages, from ease of export to the absence of sanctions to the presence of real ports and infrastructure.”
Akram concludes his speech to Al Jazeera Net by pointing out that the new decision is unfair, and implementing it will lose real opportunities for industrialists to advance, and will hinder the re-attraction of investors from abroad.
