AMMAN —
Representative of the clothing, footwear and jewelry sector at the
Jordan Chamber of Commerce Asaad Al-Qawasmi said that clothing prices will continue to
be stable during this summer season “if the customs tariff lists for evaluating
the value of goods remain in force”.
اضافة اعلان
Qawasmi told
Jordan
News that merchants are preparing for the upcoming Eid Al-Adha and Hajj
season, counting on the return of expatriates for the occasion.
He pointed out
that the demand for clothes declined after the end of the month of Ramadan “due
to the weak purchasing power and low liquidity of citizens after the
Eid Al-Fitr holiday”, and to a shift in priorities after this period ended.
According to
Qawasmi, the volume of imported clothing, fabrics and shoes “since the
beginning of this year, amounted to about JD90 million, which is about 10 per
cent higher than in the same period last year”.
President of the
Textile and Readymade Clothes Syndicate Sultan Allan told
Jordan News that “the customs tariff lists guarantee justice for all”, stressing that the
lists were created “in a practical and precise manner”.
He added that
“work with these lists must not be suspended, especially since there is no
alternative to them”, indicating that calculating tariffs based on them is “one
of the most important factors that contributes to keeping commodity prices
stable”.
He stressed that
stopping calculating tariffs based on these lists “will create confusion in the
market, especially since traders are comfortable using them”.
According to
Allan, the Customs Department does not regard these lists as legal, “but I do
not agree with this opinion, especially since they were created based on legal
methods”.
Most goods, he
said, are imported from the Far East, followed by Turkey, Arab countries, and
Europe. He added that global freight rates fluctuate during this period, and
that reflects on the prices of goods.
Former president
of the Textile and Readymade Clothes Syndicate Munir Deyye told
Jordan News that “we started working with the tariff lists in 2009”, and the agreement with
the Customs Department regarding using these lists used to be renewed yearly.
“At the beginning
of this year, they started being renewed on monthly basis and at the end of the
current month, the lists may be suspended. If a decision is taken to extend the
validity of these lists for the coming period, the prices will remain stable,”
he reiterated.
If the lists are
no longer used as the basis for setting tariffs, “there will be speculative
trading, which could bring he prices of goods up”.
“Our experience
with the tariff lists over the past years was successful, as it ensured the
stability of the prices of imported clothes,” said Deyye, urging the
Customs Department to continue working with the lists “until the end of this year so
that traders can prepare for the winter season smoothly”.
He said that
citizens are unable to bear more material burdens, and therefore, maintain the
validity of the tariff lists until the end of the current year “is necessary”.
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