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.
As a result of the exponential growth of e-commerce at the global level, the region's customs authorities will face multiple challenges in the coming years in order to carry out their functions properly.
The current context, with consumers changing their preferences and increasingly valuing ease, convenience and time savings in their purchases, has forced companies to strengthen their online marketing channels, which in turn makes it necessary for Customs to optimize their processes.
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.
With the entry into force of the Single Central American Declaration, businessmen in the region report losses because of the delays generated by the implementation of the new system in the import and export processes.
At the end of March, a report was made that the Council of Economic Ministers (COMIECO) agreed to postpone to May 7, 2019, the entry into force of the Single Central American Declaration (DUCA), which had initially been set for April 1, 2019.
With the aim of better publicizing the operation of the Single Declaration, it was agreed to postpone the entry into force of the document until May 7, 2019.
The entry into force of the Central American Single Declaration (DUCA) had initially been set for April 1, 2019.
From the statement of the Single Window for Exports of Guatemala:
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.
The tax authority has launched a new electronic platform, which lets exporters to register in only 24 hours.
With this new method available through the Virtual Agency, wait times have been considerably reduced, since the inscription in the categories of habitual exporter, optional and special regime for the refund of tax credits had until now been carried out face-to-face and as a whole they took on average 67 days.
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:
In Costa Rica, an action of unconstitutionality filed almost three years ago is preventing the construction of a customs post on the border with Nicaragua, which would allow cargo transportation to be spared a distance of 160 kilometers.
Although the government has the $12 million needed for the final construction of the border post, where a temporary container has operated since 2013, the unconstitutionality action filed by the environmentalist Alvaro Sagot, is preventing the project from progressing.
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."
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