New fees burden the merchants importing through the port of Aden
English - Thursday 09 March 2023 الساعة 03:42 pm
Aden, NewsYemen, exclusive:
The Yemeni government imposed new fees on merchants importing through the port of Aden for the benefit of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, about months after a government decision to raise the price of the customs dollar by 50%.
A number of merchants importing through the container port in the capital, Aden, reported that the port customs imposed new import duties for the benefit of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, adding that the additional fees began on cement and the raw materials involved in its manufacture, after these materials were exempted in the past, and they indicated that the fees It included imposing an additional 100 riyals on each bag of cement, as well as fees on raw materials used in the cement industry.
According to sources in the Aden Port Customs Administration, the additional fees are set by the Yemeni government, amid the refusal to release any shipments of cement or raw materials unless the money is paid by the importing merchants.
The sources indicated that employees from the Ministry of Youth and Sports are constantly present at the Customs Administration in the Free Zone - Port of Aden, with the aim of following up the money that is taken from merchants, which amounts to tens of millions of riyals.
According to a number of merchants, the continued imposition of fees on merchants and imports in the port of Aden and the liberated areas is prompting the transfer of import lines to the port of Hodeidah, which is under the control of the Houthis and that the fees and levies imposed aim to disrupt the port of Aden.
The imposition of customs duties on the import of cement and raw materials coincided with an official decision to impose 4,000 riyals as a fee for each container transported from inside the port.
The sources pointed out that there are major differences between the Heavy Transport Authority and the Heavy Transport Syndicate over the new fees on containers that are transported from inside the port.
It explained that the government transport authority insists on imposing fees, while the union rejects them, which sparked a dispute between the two parties.
The decisions issued to impose fees on merchants and transport traffic in the port of Aden have greatly affected the commercial activity of the port, especially with the recent government decisions to raise the price of the customs dollar by 50%.
Statements by the Heavy Transport Syndicate confirmed that these ill-considered decisions to impose more fees on merchants and transport traffic exacerbate the problem in the liberated ports and push merchants towards the port of Hodeidah.
They confirmed that there are shipping companies, agents and merchants who intend to leave the port of Aden towards the port of Hodeidah.
The leadership of the Chamber of Commerce in the capital, Aden, confirmed in statements to it that a number of merchants who were importing through the port of Aden have moved their activities to the port of Hodeidah, especially since the Houthi militia has issued directives to prevent merchants from importing their goods through the port of Aden.
