Skopje, 2nd December 2012 (MIA) – Starting 1st January next year, Government will abolish or reduce customs duties on intermediate goods for car spare parts, polyethylene foils, machine tools, railway freight wagons and buses, as direct support to five branches.
– Abolishment of customs duties for these goods is aimed at improving the conditions for management by domestic producers, development of industry and higher export to foreign markets, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Zoran Stavreski, said at today’s press conference.
According to him, taking into account that there are industrial capacities in Macedonia which produce car spare parts, as subcontractors of large car companies, and are export-oriented, customs duty of 15% for brake linings and pads, friction products and other parts of non-malleable cast iron would be abolished.
With respect to metal processing industry, customs duties for more than 150 products, above all machine tools, being charged by 5% and more, would be reduced. Hence, Vice Prime Minister underlined, we will directly support the companies engaged in production of metal products and the metal processing industry in general, as well as the small businesses which are to a great extent engaged in the production of metal products.
Customs duties in the transport sector will also be reduced, aimed at restoration of the vehicle fleet and reduction of costs of transport companies. Customs duties for first-category busses and minibuses will be reduced from 10% to 5%, while the one for second-category buses and minibuses will be reduced from 15% to 5%. On the other hand, customs duties on wagons and tanks of 4% will be abolished. This, Stavreski pointed out, is a direct support to companies in the transport sector, engaged in road and railway traffic.
Interventions are also made with respect to customs duties on polyethylene foils, partially used in the food industry and in the graphic industry at copy machines, where customs duty of 6% is fully abolished.
– By significantly reducing and abolishing the customs duties, Government will directly help five-six sectors that are important for the Macedonian industry and which, under such circumstances, when they are facing the challenges of the European and the global crisis, expect for the Government to support them. Like so far, we meet their requests and continue with measures that are good for the economy, since they are less of a burden for the comps starting 2013anies, Stavreski stressed.
Director of the Customs Administration of Macedonia, Vanco Kargov, said that fiscal implications arising from the reduction amounted to around Denar 30 million on annual basis. They are, of course, anticipated in the budget projections for the next year, and all this should contribute to intensifying and improving the economic activity in the Republic of Macedonia, Kargov pointed out.
Reduction of customs duties, he went on, are measures of the Government adopted in cooperation with the business community and their needs.
– We will continue to observe the customs area so as to continue reducing and abolishing the customs duties, above all to increase competitiveness of our economy, at the same time not to be at the detriment of other sectors already existing in Macedonia, Kargov said.
Each year Government of the Republic of Macedonia harmonizes the customs tariff for the next one according to the obligations towards the World Trade Organization and the European Union. Harmonization of the customs tariff, according to the obligations under the Protocol for Accession of the Republic of Macedonia to the World Trade Organization in the transition period from 2003 to 2012, is completed. Under the 2012 Customs Tariff, all custom duties are complied with the final binding rates in the Protocol. Amendments to the Law on Customs Tariff, which provide for reduction of customs duties, are a decision reached by the Government upon an initiative by the business community.
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