[25/December/2012]

SANA'A, Dec. 25 (Saba) - The cabinet approved on Tuesday establishing two customs offices in Dhabba and Belhaf ports in Hadramout and Shabwa governorates, as Finance Minister's request.

At the weekly meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa, the cabinet charged the offices with performing all the customs tasks and procedures for all imports and exports, including oil and gas, according to the customs law, relevant laws and oil and gas production sharing agreements.

The cabinet's move aims to take much control over the oil and gas companies' imports and exports in the Belhaf and Dhabba ports, after growing reports on lack of customs control over Yemen's exports of oil and gas.

The cabinet also obligated the Aden Refinery Company (ARC) to apply the provisions of the customs law to each import or export case and to submit its customs declarations coupled with all required documents, in accordance with the law and regulations in force.

It underlined that the ARC have to pay the customs duties and other legal returns on its sales of petroleum products at the international prices. The governmental bodies also have to take all measures to settle their pending financial issues with Customs Authority, otherwise the customs duties on their imports would be deducted directly from their allocations in the budget.

Concerning the Defense and Interior Ministries' imports, the cabinet directs that all weapons, ammunition and military equipments imported by both Ministries for military and security purposes are exempted from all tax and customs duties.

AF

Saba