In protest against the slow pace with which procedures are processed at customs offices, a group of customs managers and truck drivers have blocked off the entrance to the terminal facilities.
Soy502.com reports that on Friday afternoon "... a group of about 350 people blocked access to facilities of the Port of Santo Tomas de Castilla." The blockades started on Wednesday, March 9, causing delays and discomfort for exporters and importers.
Private operators which were previously authorized to operate in the customs area will no longer do so and it will be the Port of Quetzal the responsible for the public role of customs clearing.
The amendments are intended to improve general customs controls and functions after the fraud network that operated from inside of the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) was dismantled.
Problems in making online payments and in the operation of customs have worsened since the fraud network was dismantled.
The dismantling of the network of officials taking advantage of their positions to commit customs fraud has worsened the problems that often affect businesses which have to interact with the Tax Administration. An online system which is down much of the time and additional delays at customs posts are part of the problems affecting commercial activity in the country.
Arrests have been made of Omar Franco Alvaro Chacón, head of the Superintendency of Tax Administration and Carlos Enrique Muñoz Roldán, former head the SAT, and 19 other senior officials, employees and individuals.
From a statement issued by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG):
CUSTOMS FRAUD NETWORK DISMANTLED
Chief and former head of the SAT Captured
The Tax Authority of Guatemala has denied the existence of a consensus among Central American countries to implement a unified charge.
The Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) of Guatemala denied that there is a consensus among countries to implement a one-time charge for reviewing scanned merchandise flowing through the region, as announced by the Directorate General of Customs of El Salvador.
Starting February 25th, goods declaration documents will be transmitted electronically to the Customs Service Information System.
From February 25th Documents Supporting Declaration of Goods in the Customs System Information Service will be transmitted electronically. This is a pilot program that will start running in the Customs Office of Puerto Barrios, Izabal and then will gradually be implemented in all customs offices in the country.
The government has extended for three months intervention activities in customs offices, measure that has increased the collection of customs duties by 30%.
The Guatemalan government extended until next March the operative intervention that has been carried out since October last year in some customs in the country in order to control illegal activities.
The Guatemalan government has established that the SAT and the Ministries of Defense and Government should work together in order to achieve compliance with the Customs Act.
A Government Agreement states that both ministries should coordinate operations with the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) in order to reach this goal for a period of three months.
The measures to strengthening customs controls to increase revenue and curb customs fraud are almost ready.
Prensalibre.com reports that "the government has refined the plan to strengthen controls at customs offices, in the event that the intervention by the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) does not proceed along legal channels, but also it is progressing in "coordination" between institutions, in case the measure is deemed legally correct. "