Morocco recently amended its phytosanitary inspection procedures for certain imported goods, including imported plants, plant products and items with wood packaging, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service reported March 9. The report highlights which ports are accepting the imports, which exemptions apply and what information import certificates must include.

Saudi Arabia recently issued guidelines for paying value-added taxes for e-commerce goods, KPMG said in a March 8 post. The guidelines outline which “online enterprises” must register to pay VAT and how to file VAT returns. But KPMG said it is “not clear” whether both “resident and non-resident taxpayers” must comply with the VAT guidance.

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority recently began imposing a new tariff regime that will raise duties by an average of about 16% on 20-foot containers and by about 17% for 40-foot containers, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported March 8. The new regime, which targets only shipping lines, has been met with opposition by local trade associations, which said shipping lines are passing on the new charges to their clients, the report said. Several trade associations are advising local traders to ignore the increased fees, which in some cases have raised domestic charges by 70% to 110%.

Shipping company CMA CGM recently announced a port congestion surcharge on inbound and outbound cargo from Kenya, threatening to turn the port of Mombasa into a “logistical nightmare,” The Standard reported Feb. 26. The company will levy the fee when certain ships are delayed at the port, the Kenyan newspaper said, and could impose total charges of $20,000 to $45,000, depending on the ship's size. At least one local industry group has protested the charge and hopes CMA CGM will reverse its decision, the report said, although industry fears other shipping lines may impose similar charges. CMA CGM introduced the charge to “recover money it had lost due” to the congestion at the port, the report said. The company didn’t comment.

Morocco’s customs agency recently began requiring additional documents from U.S. beef exporters to ensure they are meeting terms outlined in the U.S.-Morocco free trade deal, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report released Feb. 23. Morocco is asking exporters to submit a “self-attestation” that their shipments meet the value requirements contained in the deal’s rules of origin provisions, including that the “direct cost of processing operations is not less than 35 percent of the appraised value of the exported beef and beef products.”

Abu Dhabi’s customs agency introduced an automated system Feb. 10 for managing customs inspections, which will be used to monitor 15 border points in the United Arab Emirates, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Feb. 23. The new system -- which will allow for inspections of cargo, luggage, customs fees and safety compliance measures -- will be implemented at various airports, land ports and seaports. It is designed to minimize “inspection procedures’ negative impact on trade and travel,” the report said.

Saudi Arabia will stop contracting with any foreign company that has its regional headquarters outside the kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency said Feb. 17. The new regulation will take effect Jan. 1, 2024, and includes agencies, institutions and government-owned funds. The move was made as part of the Riyadh 2030 initiative and comes on the heels of the Future Investment Initiative forum held in Riyadh in January. SPA said 24 international companies announced their intent to move their regional headquarters to the capital at the FII forum, coming into compliance with the new regulation.

Dubai Customs issued a notice exempting a new list of goods in the free trade agreement between the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf countries and the European Free Trade Association states. EFTA comprises EU member states Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Pursuant to the FTA, the list of goods falling under “Category B” were subject to duties for the first five years of the agreement but made exempt on the first day of the sixth year, July 1, 2021. The list of goods includes food items (pasta, macaroni, and French fries), cereal products, bakery products, coffee and tea products, sauces including ketchup, soy sauce and mayonnaise, food supplements, mineral water and beverages, bamboo, softening agents and glue.

The Israeli Tax Authority recently issued a directive outlining stricter provisions regarding submitting import declarations for importing returned exported goods, Herzog Fox posted Feb. 16. The provisions allow for exemptions of those goods from certain purchase taxes and value-added taxes if they didn’t “undergo any processing abroad and meet certain additional conditions,” the law firm said. If the goods were processed abroad, import duties will apply to only the value of the processing performed abroad. Importers must declare the export declaration number when submitting a declaration for the returned exported goods, although there are several exceptions, the post said. To comply with the new requirements, companies will need to “track the path of the goods” from export to returned for import, the firm said, adding that the “directive may impede or even prevent the return of goods exported from Israel,” especially when importing damaged components of machines and when returning a “large quantity of components” that were exported separately.

Although South Africa partially lifted a ban Feb. 1 on the domestic transportation and sale of alcoholic drinks, the future of alcohol trade with the country remains uncertain, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service reported Feb. 10. South Africa has implemented three alcohol bans since March, allowing the domestic industry to export liquor but restricting imports. It remains unclear how the government will handle future alcohol bans, which could affect U.S. exports to the country, USDA said. U.S. exports to South Africa fell by 46% in 2020 and “may worsen” if the ban continues this year.