Protective fees on imports to protect local industry

Following repeated statements by the industry minister, Hussein Hajj Hassan, warning of a gap in trade relations with numerous countries, the director general of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI), Talal Hijazi, noted that one of the key reasons for that gap is what he noted as harsh restrictions enforced on Lebanon’s exports, while describing the benchmarks set by trading partners as ‘manipulative’ and aiming to impede exports. Hijazi was speaking during the launching last week of the agro-products site directory for international export requirements (Tasdier) funded by USAID in collaboration with the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, which contains a database of the technical standards required for the access of fresh and processed agricultural goods to above states. In the same vain, and during his inauguration on Tuesday of the solar power plant in Bekfaya, Industry Minister Hussein Haj Hassan warned of detrimental effects on production which is neither protected here, nor can enter foreign markets. In a related vein, Hajj Hassan relieved that during the discussion of the state budget, the prime minister asked the ministers of industry, economy and finance to enforce new protective fees in the coming few weeks on specific imported products in order to curb the dumping of cheap foreign goods. Haj Hassan speech was during  a ceremony where he awarded an ISO quality control certificate to the ALI, where he noted that the items that apply to the said taxes are those that are produced in abundance domestically and meet the demands of the market, and that the planned fees will be imposed on all countries without exception, and will target the following items: chicken, white cheese, yogurt, eggs, cut stones, industrial paper, garments, jewelry, shoes, steel, aluminum, plastic, flour, spaghetti, chips and handcrafts (Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, L’Orient Le Jour, March 3, 7, 9, 2017)