Egyptian government increases import duty for luxury goods by 60%
Egypt has sharply raised customs duties on more than 300 goods to encourage domestic production and curb a ballooning trade deficit.
The government has hiked the duties by up to 60 percent for products that are produced locally. Egypt’s finance ministry says the move is part of a broader effort to reform the ailing economy. The tariff increases on 320 categories of goods targeted manufactured products which include, carpets, ceramics and cosmetics. Duties have also been raised on goods that are deemed non-essential, such as fresh fruit, shampoo and toothbrushes.
The finance ministry expects the new tariffs to boost customs revenues by 339 million dollars a year, if imports remained at current volumes.