TIRANA, Dec. 24 – Starting Dec. 7 2015, new changes will enter into force to a concession deal with U.S.-based Rapiscan company, eliminating double payments for the compulsory scanning of goods in Albanian customs, which will mainly benefit the garment and footwear industry and internal customs transit, according to the Official Gazette. The new changes to the deal will exclude 150,000 customs declarations from the compulsory tariffs, worth 4 million euros, which will be handled by the state budget, practically by Albanian taxpayers, the finance ministry has earlier said.
The changes were adopted after complaints by the business community of the compulsory payment of the tariff up to three times for the same goods in different customs procedures.
Goods in the transit regime, goods exiting the customs warehousing regime excluding re-exports, goods in free circulation, transfers from special customs regimes and imports of small consignments of goods of a non-commercial character will be excluded from the customs scanning tariff.
Starting Sept. 7, Albanian businesses are being charged for scanning services offered by U.S.-based Rapiscan concessionaire at €22 for declarations of more than 1,000 euros with customs authorities and euro 5 for declarations of less than 1,000 euros. The scanning, intended to curb smuggling and tax evasion, has been made compulsory after a review of the concession contract reducing the initial 2013 tariffs.
