List of Goods Exempt From Forex Surcharge Announced

In a letter to the Central Bank of Iran governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, Minister of Industries, Mining and Trade Mohammad Shariatmadari announced the list of imports exempted from paying the 28,000-rial surcharge. The latter pertains to the exchange rate difference between the government’s subsidized forex rate at which their import orders has been registered before the new policy took effect, i.e. on Aug. 7, and the value of foreign currency determined by Secondary Forex Market. The list includes 3,479 items categorized in three main groups of “Machinery and Equipment”, “Raw Materials for Production”, and “Raw Materials of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Equipment”, Mehr News Agency reported. An increasing number of consignments have been piling up at customs terminals of major Iranian ports, without being claimed by their owners since the government unveiled its new forex policy and its controversial Clause V. Under Clause V, imported goods, except for items entitled to the exemption, can receive customs clearance only if their owners pay the surcharge on the exchange rate difference.