Ghana recently waived detention and demurrage fees on all cargo at the country’s seaports while government-imposed restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic remain in place, according to an April 28 notice from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The measure applies to all charges on cargo that has been held at ports since March 30, the report said.
The African Continental Free Trade Area will not be implemented as scheduled on July 1, AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said, according to a report in the Nigerian newspaper This Day. Rather than focus on meeting the original July 1 deadline, “all governments should be allowed to concentrate their efforts on fighting the [COVID-19] pandemic and saving lives at home,” Mene said. The report cites “strong speculations that the new commencement date might be January 2021.”
Dubai Customs will allow a 1% customs duty refund on goods that meet certain conditions, according to an April 27 post from KPMG. The goods must already be subject to a 5% customs duty, must be imported into the United Arab Emirates through Dubai Customs and must have no outstanding customs duty payments, KPMG said. The goods must also be imported for resale domestically and their import declarations must be processed March 15 through June 30. KPMG said Dubai will only disburse refunds of 100 dirham value or more.
Turkey recently announced several changes to its certificate of origin submissions to customs, according to an April 27 post from KPMG. The country introduced a “cash guarantee application” in its certificate of origin rules, which can be submitted to the country’s customs authority after importation, the post said. The country also announced a process for refunds if the certificate of origin is submitted to the customs authority within six months “from the date of registration of the declaration,” the post said. Turkey may also request a trader’s certificate of origin if the goods are “subject to more than one trade policy measure, additional customs duties ... or when different rates are determined.” If the certificate cannot be submitted, the goods will incur a higher customs duty.
Bahrain recently introduced an online customs clearance and payments service, eliminating the need for traders to present customs declaration forms and pay duties in person at ports of entry, according to an April 27 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The service will allow “any entity in Bahrain” to process online payments for any outstanding fee, the report said. But the country’s customs stressed that traders must still keep original customs statements and other documents, which may be subject to inspection at a later date.
South Africa announced value-added tax relief as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 23 KPMG post. The VAT relief includes “fast-tracking” of VAT refunds, a measure that will allow some companies to file monthly VAT returns instead of bimonthly returns, and a case-by-case “waiver of penalties” for “larger businesses,” the post said.
The United Arab Emirates extended the deadline by one month for filing value-added tax returns and paying certain VATs, according to an April 21 KPMG post. The new deadline, May 28, will apply to VAT returns and for payment of VAT owed for the tax period that ended March 31. The original deadline was April 28.
Mauritius recently eliminated port fees for exports and extended a freight rebate scheme, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 14 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The country eliminated port fees for “all exports,” including payments for “stevedoring charges” and “shore charges” for exports laden, the HKTDC said. Mauritius also extended its freight rebate scheme to include exports to three ports in South Africa and the port of Tamatave in Madagascar, the report said. A third measure extended the country’s “Speed-to-Market Scheme,” which now provides rebates on costs of air freight for exports to African countries, Japan, Australia, Canada and the Middle East. Sectors eligible for the rebate scheme are jewelry, medical devices, fruits, flowers, vegetables, chilled fish, and textiles and apparel.
The United Arab Emirates introduced several measures to ease the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on trade and investment, according to an April 7 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The measures include a refund of 1% of the customary 5% customs duty charged to imported goods for sale in the UAE; this applies to imports between March 15 and June 30, 2020. The UAE also introduced an exemption from the regular (starting March 24) the requirement to pay a $13,600 cash deposit on customs brokering activities, the report said, and fees imposed for submitting customs documents will be reduced by 90%. A hold has been put on customs audits, and social distancing measures have been introduced in free-trade zone application processing.
The Saudi Ports Authority recently announced a new shipping lane connecting Saudi Arabia with East African countries, according to an April 8 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The lane, provided by French shipping company CMA CGM, will provide a “weekly direct service” between Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Kenya, the report said. The lane is expected to cut shipping times between Africa and Saudi Arabia by seven days by eliminating the need for cargo to first travel through European ports, which took as long as 29 days.