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Sudan Faces Import Paralysis

The Sudanese Importers Chamber has stopped importing and paying taxes to the state. (Photo: Reuters)
The Sudanese Importers Chamber has stopped importing and paying taxes to the state. (Photo: Reuters)
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Sudan Faces Import Paralysis

The Sudanese Importers Chamber has stopped importing and paying taxes to the state. (Photo: Reuters)
The Sudanese Importers Chamber has stopped importing and paying taxes to the state. (Photo: Reuters)

The Sudanese Importers Chamber announced the suspension of imports and the non-payment of any customs or tax duties to the state, for a period of three days starting Sunday, in protest against the increase in the customs rate.

The decision constitutes a major shock to the government, which relies mainly on import and export customs revenues to run the state’s affairs in light of the stifling economic crisis in the country.

In a statement on Thursday, the Chamber said that the increase in the exchange rate of foreign currencies would augment customs duties by 30.8 percent, which will have dire effects on the living conditions in the country.

The Sudanese Importers Chamber called on all its employees to stop all imports, and to refrain from paying customs and tax fees and any other government fees for three days, until reaching an agreement with the concerned authorities.

In turn, the Sudanese Ministry of Finance denied in a statement, the adoption of any decision to increase the customs fees. The ministry’s official spokesman, Ahmed Al-Sharif Mohamed Abdel-Rahman, said that the price of the dollar varies according to the policy adopted by the country’s central bank.

A decision was announced in June, eliminating the customs exchange rate used to calculate import duties.

The move comes within a reform plan monitored by the International Monetary Fund to give debt relief and attract new financing.

Economic Expert Al-Fateh Mahjoub Othman told Asharq Al-Awsat that the decision to raise the price of the customs dollar to equal the exchange rate of the Sudanese pound in all government transactions removes one of the biggest hurdles to the Sudanese economy.

He added that the decision would help the government improve its public finances, and increase its spending ability in the first and second quarters without resorting to borrowing from the Bank of Sudan.

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Five Nations and EU Urge Trump Not to Impose New Airplane Tariffs 

An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight from Los Angeles approaches for landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington, US, March 13, 2019. (Reuters)
An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight from Los Angeles approaches for landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington, US, March 13, 2019. (Reuters)
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Five Nations and EU Urge Trump Not to Impose New Airplane Tariffs 

An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight from Los Angeles approaches for landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington, US, March 13, 2019. (Reuters)
An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight from Los Angeles approaches for landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington, US, March 13, 2019. (Reuters)

Five nations and the European Union, as well as airlines and aerospace firms worldwide, urged the Trump administration not to impose new national security tariffs on imported commercial planes and parts, documents released on Tuesday showed.

Airlines and planemakers have been lobbying President Donald Trump to restore the tariff-free regime under the 1979 Civil Aircraft Agreement that has yielded an annual trade surplus of $75 billion for the US industry.

The documents made public by the US Commerce Department bared concerns over the fallout of possible new tariffs expressed by companies as well as nations such as Canada, China, Japan, Mexico and Switzerland, besides the European Union.

"As reliable trading partners, the European Union and United States should strengthen their trade regarding aircraft and aircraft parts, rather than hinder it by imposing trade restrictions," the EU wrote.

It would consider its options "to ensure a level playing field," it added.

Trump has already imposed tariffs of 10% on nearly all airplane and parts imports.

"No country or region should attempt to support the development of its domestic aircraft manufacturing industry by suppressing foreign competitors," the Chinese government wrote.

Separately, US planemaker Boeing cited a recent trade deal unveiled in May with Britain that ensures tariff-free treatment for airplanes and parts.

"The United States should ensure duty-free treatment for commercial aircraft and their parts in any negotiated trade agreement, similar to its efforts with the United Kingdom," Boeing told the Commerce Department in a filing.

Mexico said in 2024 it exported $1.45 billion in aircraft parts, just a tenth of the total, to the United States. The EU said it took US exports of aircraft worth roughly $12 billion, while exporting about $8 billion of aircraft to the US.

In early May, the Commerce Department launched a "Section 232" national security investigation into imports of commercial aircraft, jet engines and parts that could form the basis for even higher tariffs on such imports.

Last week, Delta Air Lines and major trade groups warned of tariffs' impact on ticket prices, aviation safety and supply chains.

"Current US tariffs on aviation are putting domestic production of commercial aircraft at risk," Airbus Americas CEO Robin Hayes said in a filing.

"It is not realistic or sensible today to create a 100% domestic supply chain in any country."

Boeing said it had been increasing US content in its airplanes over the last decade and its newest airplanes, the 737 MAX 10 and 777X, would have "more than 88% domestically-sourced content."

The United Auto Workers union, which represents 10,000 aerospace workers, said it supports tariffs and domestic production quotas, adding that US aerospace employment has fallen to 510,000 in 2024 from 850,000 in 1990.

"To safeguard the entire aerospace supply chain across the commercial and defense sectors, comprehensive tariffs and production quotas on several products are needed," it said.

JetBlue Airways opposed new tariffs, however, saying, "Trade policy should reinforce, not destabilize, the proven systems that keep our aircraft flying safely and affordably."