Authorities from both countries are fine-tuning the final details to begin construction and habilitation of the Engineers Borderland Port in Quiche, Guatemala, which will connect with Nuevo Orizaba, Chiapas, in Mexico.
Guatemalan authorities reported that the process of the Foreign Affairs Ministries is to determine where the entry and exit points of the customs will be, since on the Mexican side modifications would have to be made to match the land.
Since January 1, 2020, Nicaraguan authorities have been charging $25 for the electronic processing of the Single Central American Transit Declaration, a cost that exceeds by 233% what was paid until the end of 2019.
Until December 31 last year, the General Directorate of Customs Services (DGA) charged $7.5 for the Single Central American Declaration in Transit (DUCA), but with the new provision of the authorities, the cost increased by $17.5 for 2020.
After having been extended several times, the contingency plan for DUCA F and DUCA was finalized on July 8, however, there is uncertainty because the platform is not fully operational.
Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador agreed on a plan that seeks to guarantee order and security at the Integrated Border Posts, and also approved the technical documents for the operation of Radio Frequency devices at the borders.
The Guatemalan Ministry of Economy (Mineco) reported that the countries in the Northern Triangle approved on May 28 a security plan for the Integrated Border Posts (IFP) of the Customs Union (AU), which was signed by the ministers responsible for security in these countries.
Two companies are expected to complete certification this month to provide the electronic tax stamps service in Guatemala, and by January 2019 they would be operating throughout the entire customs system.
In July of this year, it was announced that the tender for the service of electronic tax stamps for containers in Guatemalan customs would no longer be carried out, allowing several companies to provide their services independently.
Industria La Popular, Grupo Cropa and Grupo Vical, are the three companies qualified as new Authorized Economic Operators by the Superintendency of Tax Administration.
According to the authorities at the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT), the figure of Authorized Economic Operator (OAS), which is recognized by the World Trade Organization, facilitates trade, security and control, as well as compliance in tax, customs and legal matters.
In Guatemala, a call to take part in a qualification process is being made to companies interested in bidding for an electronic marketing service, a process to be held in an information meeting on June 26.
The tax stamps will be used in the county's customs posts and the meeting in which the details of the contracting process will be provided, was convened by the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT).
In the fourth round of negotiations to incorporate El Salvador into the customs union process with Guatemala and Honduras, issues such as internal taxes, phytosanitary measures and tariffs, among others, will be discussed.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Economy of El Salvador:
The IV Round of negotiations for the incorporation of El Salvador into the process of Deep Integration towards the Free Transit of People and Goods between the Republics of Honduras and Guatemala, began today in San Salvador.
The $42 charge that the Guatemalan tax authority levied at border points during the holiday season will be eliminated starting from November 1 of this year.
Guatemala, Oct 31 (DE). - The Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) reported that as of today it will not make extraordinary collections during holidays as it did prior to November 1, when it commemorated All Saints' Day.
The so-called "modernization" of the North American Free Trade Agreement promoted by Trump brings to the table the need to diversify the destinations of Mexican exports, and the Aztecs are starting to look to the nearby South.
An article on T21.com.mx highlights that "in recent months the debate has opened in the country on diversifying the export destinations of Mexican goods, taking advantage of the ten treaties and agreements that Mexico has signed and which bring it closer to 40 other countries. Mexico has had a Free Trade Agreement with Central America since 2013."
Authorities have threatened to close the customs office at the port terminal if there is no improvement in the facilities and operation of the port within six months.
Problems over control of container inventories, lack of controls for entry of merchandise and the inadequate condition of infrastructure at the terminal are affecting customs operations, according to the head of the Customs Intendance.Among the requests made to the company Empresa Portuaria Nacional Santo Tomás de Castilla (Empornac) are the implementation of a closed circuit television system and greater controls at exit and entry modules.
January 1 saw the coming into force of a new nomenclature, which extends Tariff System Codes to 10 digits.
The implementation of the Sixth Amendment to the nomenclature of the Tariff Description and Coding System (SAC by its initials in Spanish) and the extension to more digits of codes for goods that are exported and imported was approved by the World Customs Organization (WCO) on June 27, 2014 in order to maintain, in terms of tariff nomenclature, a common language which facilitates international exchange.
As part of the implementation of the Customs Union, Corinto was designated as a new integrated custom office, and operations will begin in the first quarter of 2017.
The resolution signed yesterday by officials of the two nations to enable the passage through Corinth in Entre Ríos, Izabal, heralds the start of a new route with greater opportunities for bilateral trade.
The customs post of Tecun Uman II has been blocked by a strike on the part of Guatemalan cargo carriers.
The union of industrialists in Guatemala reports that blockades by carriers are already affecting passage through the customs office of Tecun Uman II.
Rony Mendoza, secretary general of the Heavy Transport Workers Union of Guatemala, told Diario de Centroamerica that"... vehicles transporting goods from ports and customs offices are not circulating on Thursday and that the strike will last for at least three days."
In the customs offices of Tecun Uman working hours have been extended both on the Guatemalan and Mexican side in order to allow passage of trucks which until now had been left stranded.
The Superintendent of Tax Administration is also operating an extraordinary timetable, a measure which could be extended for a few days, depending on what is decided at the end of the weekend.