This new conflict has arisen from the fact that the rules of the law do not specify whether in the case of consolidated cargo the $18 must be paid per package or if the fee should be divided among all packages, as they claim has been done up until now. The administrative provision indicates that the payment of the fee must be made with the goods declaration, ie consolidated loads must pay for each packet, for each declaration presented and not a single fee per container.

The executive director of the Corporation of Exporters of El Salvador, Silvia Cuellar told Elmundo.com.sv that "... In the case of the consolidated loads, where merchandise from several owners can be transported, the basic document is the cargo manifest which, if replaced by the declaration of goods, forces the owners of each parcel to pay $18 individually rather that the fee being divided among them all, as they used to do. This will cause a rise in costs for small and medium businesses using the mechanism of consolidation and those who send commercial samples to other countries or are forced to divide a shipment into several parts."

The president of the Salvadoran Association of International Cargo Carriers, Raul Alfaro, added "... The wording of the new law is confusing, therefore we have requested meetings with the director of the Directorate General of Customs, Carlos Cativo to clarify the terms of the proposal. "

Source: elmundo.com.sv

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