Madagascar cancels safety fee from cargo containers

According to government agency in charge of Port, Maritime, and River (APMF), the new Advance Cargo Declaration (ACD) fee, which should be paid since Feb. 9 this year, is for the safety information service that Madagascar gives to cargo containers shipped in its port.

“ACD fee is 50 Euros by container for cargo containers from or to Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Indian Ocean countries. It is 85 Euros by container for that coming from or going to other countries and 0.5 Euros per ton for bulk products. The non-payment of the ACD fee will be fined from 10,000 to 100,000 Euros to the Malagasy State,” a statement issued by the APMF said.

Private sector, including the Group of Companies in Madagascar(GEM), already complained since late January, estimating that this kind of fee extract 10 million U.S dollar per year from the account of the company, but authority in the country still argued that it is an international standard.

“After dialogue between Malagasy leaders and the GEM, it was decided that ACD fee on imports and exports is no longer required,” the minister of Tourism, Transport and Meteorology Ulrich Andriantiana said.

The minister said negotiations continue to improve port infrastructure and enhance security of ports in Madagascar.

APMF and private sector will control the whole security in ports to ensure the transparency of imports and exports, he added. Enditem

Source: Xinhua