Fake goods and suspicious wire transfers are spurring the Algerian government to regulate importers.
By Nazim Fethi for Magharebia in Algiers — 10/03/10
Algeria is cracking down on importers who illegally wire huge sums of money abroad and deal in counterfeit and banned goods.
Criminal import companies, which sprang up after the state monopoly on foreign trade formally ended in 1991, have been profiting on merchandise like fake spare auto parts.
"We've referred to the courts files regarding 66,000 fraud-perpetrating importers that are already banned from pursuing all forms of foreign trade," Trade Minister El Hachemi Djaaboub said March 4th at an Algiers meeting between customs officials and businesspeople.
Target importers will be prosecuted for violating customs regulations, he said. On top of court-imposed fines, offenders would also be barred from foreign trade, Djaaboub said. The minister also said that the importers would no longer have access to public markets.
The ministries of trade and finance and customs authorities now have access to a computerized database of the violators. To be removed from the database, Djaaboub said, such importers must comply with laws governing foreign trade by paying fines and damages.
Used clothing importers are among those already feeling the effects of the crackdown.
"My colleagues and I have run into a lot of difficulties since last October," used clothing importer Amar Larbi told Magharebia. Larbi, who claimed that his field of imports provides direct or indirect employment for 25,000 people, said the problem involves dealing with bank debits for transactions.
Importers know that if they have to work with bank debits, "they'll have to justify all of their expenses [and] the taxes aren't going to let up," fruit wholesaler Mustapha Djabou said.
"We are ruthlessly pursuing those who perpetrate fraud, and at the same time, we're also helping honest and transparent economic operators," Minister Djaaboub said.
Djaaboub noted a new provision of the 2010 Finance Act regarding the creation of "economic operator" status. The provision awards the status based on a list of criteria that sets standards for reliability and transparency. By meeting the list of criteria, importers will become entitled to certain advantages and customs breaks detailed in the provision on economic operators.
The new arrangement would create "a partnership between the customs authorities and these approved companies," head of customs Mohamed Abdou Bouderbala said.
"It's a question of making the transition from impersonal checks to personalized checks, so that we know who importers are," he said.
Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/03/10/feature-01.
By Nazim Fethi for Magharebia in Algiers — 10/03/10
Algeria is cracking down on importers who illegally wire huge sums of money abroad and deal in counterfeit and banned goods.
Criminal import companies, which sprang up after the state monopoly on foreign trade formally ended in 1991, have been profiting on merchandise like fake spare auto parts.
"We've referred to the courts files regarding 66,000 fraud-perpetrating importers that are already banned from pursuing all forms of foreign trade," Trade Minister El Hachemi Djaaboub said March 4th at an Algiers meeting between customs officials and businesspeople.
Target importers will be prosecuted for violating customs regulations, he said. On top of court-imposed fines, offenders would also be barred from foreign trade, Djaaboub said. The minister also said that the importers would no longer have access to public markets.
The ministries of trade and finance and customs authorities now have access to a computerized database of the violators. To be removed from the database, Djaaboub said, such importers must comply with laws governing foreign trade by paying fines and damages.
Used clothing importers are among those already feeling the effects of the crackdown.
"My colleagues and I have run into a lot of difficulties since last October," used clothing importer Amar Larbi told Magharebia. Larbi, who claimed that his field of imports provides direct or indirect employment for 25,000 people, said the problem involves dealing with bank debits for transactions.
Importers know that if they have to work with bank debits, "they'll have to justify all of their expenses [and] the taxes aren't going to let up," fruit wholesaler Mustapha Djabou said.
"We are ruthlessly pursuing those who perpetrate fraud, and at the same time, we're also helping honest and transparent economic operators," Minister Djaaboub said.
Djaaboub noted a new provision of the 2010 Finance Act regarding the creation of "economic operator" status. The provision awards the status based on a list of criteria that sets standards for reliability and transparency. By meeting the list of criteria, importers will become entitled to certain advantages and customs breaks detailed in the provision on economic operators.
The new arrangement would create "a partnership between the customs authorities and these approved companies," head of customs Mohamed Abdou Bouderbala said.
"It's a question of making the transition from impersonal checks to personalized checks, so that we know who importers are," he said.
Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/03/10/feature-01.
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