A court ruling has overturned the SAT resolutions authorizing Empresa Portuaria Quetzal y Terminal de Contenedores Quetzal to operate as temporary customs warehouses.
Although the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) has announced that it will be appealing the ruling given by the Second Administrative Appeals Chamber, the reality is that since June 28, the activities of the customs warehouses in Empresa Portuaria Quetzal (EPQ) have been suspended as well as those at the Terminal de Contenedores Quetzal (TCQ)."...The resolution orders that the SAT no longer has the customs service under its administration, which contravenes the Central American Customs Code CAUCA, therefore the Superintendency will file an appeal against the decision made by the Court."
Alcoholic beverages, technological equipment and chemical products are some of the products most affected by the disappearance of containers which has been denounced by the union of importers in Costa Rica.
The Costa Rican Chamber of Importers has expressed its concern at the "extreme" security measures which have to be taken to ensure that containers with imported goods reach their destination without being stolen in transit.Its director, Katherine Chaves, told Diarioextra.com that in some cases the containers disappear from thestorage zones.
If it is not for one reason it is another: now cargo is building up in Paso Canoas because of the closure of the customs office due to the Panamanian holiday.
The problems, according to Gerardo Bolaños, CEO of Customs at the Ministry of Finance, are not caused by the Costa Rican side but in Panama. This is because last Monday was a holiday in the country.
The Director of Customs in Costa Rica has stated that they will continue to perform the exhaustive checks which are causing delays in unloading goods.
The Costa Rican Association of Cargo Agents, Consolidators and International Logistics Companies (Acacia), has denounced the misinterpretation of customs guidelines which is causing delays in unloading goods.
Two mobile scanners for inspecting containers, with a value of $6 million, have been abandoned and left to deteriorate outside for three years.
Now the manufacturer, the Chinese company Nuctech, will be responsible for repairing and maintaining the two X-ray machines which are valued at $6 million and were donated by their Government and which have been damaged after being abandoned for three years.
Central American industry is calling for strengthening of customs controls in the region, in order to contain the constant border crossings made with smuggled goods.
According to Carlos Enrique Rivera, secretary general of the Federation of Chambers and Industrial Associations of Central America and the Dominican Republic (FECAICA), at the border located in Melchor de Mencos, Peten, which borders Belize, there is no control to prevent the entry of illegal goods, which apparently heads toward Mexico, but 15% remains in Guatemala, without having made tax declarations.
Main Benefits of using industrial fans:
- Lower the temperature of the Warehouse
- Temperature Energy-saving control
- Avoid Corrosion by maintaining the air circulation
- Electrical System Adaptable to solar panel system
With an investment of $1 million the company is opening a 11,000 square meter customs warehouse in Heredia.
The new depot will be used to collect parcels acquired by internet shoppers.
"This facility will house the company's 125 people working in the operations department of the company which has 18 branches and a staff of 400 people.
In a press release, the company announced that it is the first Central American customs warehouse intended for this purpose", writes Sergio Arce for Nacion.com
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