The customs tariff in Iraq between Kfr Zainab Abdul Jabbar Thamer Al Shammari

As part of the efforts to unify the customs tariff, Iraq and the region are working to unify the customs tariff "in many cases the tariff imposed by the Iraqi Customs Authority is high so it was agreed to make the tariff for the Kurdistan Region basis for the new standard tariff" and seek to be a new tariff in the interest of traders and citizens "The Iraqi Customs Authority agreed on November 7 with the General Directorate of Customs in the Kurdistan Region on 27 points linked to customs, including the use of the Kurdish language in addition to Arabic in all correspondence related to customs transactions in the It is noteworthy that the customs points were established between Kirkuk and the provinces of Kurdistan, Mosul and Dahuk, which is a result of political conflicts between Baghdad and Erbil. "This led to the decline of the trade movement significantly after the establishment of customs points in the regions Mentioned, as well as it has directly affected the economy of citizens because of the sudden rise in prices.

As stressed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and during the regular session of the House of Representatives commissioned the parliamentary legal committee to draft a resolution obliging the Ministry of Finance to abolish the customs tariff between the provinces 2

On the other hand, the International Monetary Fund announced that the price of tariffs in force in Iraq is 1%.

He also pointed out that Iraq's revenues from customs duties for goods during the last year amounted to less than 600 million dollars, noting that Iraq imported goods worth 53 billion dollars during the year 2016.

The International Monetary Fund said in a report published on Iraq that "the proceeds of customs duties in Iraq is very small compared to the size of the imports depend on the economy to meet local needs," explaining that "Iraq depends on a lot of foreign goods to meet its consumer needs and pays a huge annual invoice on imports Estimated at $ 53 billion last year. "

The Vice President of the International Monetary Fund for the Middle East and Asia Christian Joss at the meeting in Baghdad on the possibilities that increase the revenues of the state, including the activation of taxes and those imposed on non-oil products, noting that customs duties were between 5 and 10 per cent, Is not the right way to collect customs revenue, and stressed the need to change this method to 30 percent.

He said that the fastest gains and revenues result from the organization of the unit of taxing, and this generates significant revenues because they impose on the segment of large traders.

Article Credit: https://www.alnoor.se/
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