Customs receipts down

Total customs collections contract for the first time in five years

Figures released by the Higher Customs Council show that overall customs collections (customs revenues +VAT revenues) totaled $3 billion in 2011, down by 11.7 percent from the previous year. This was the first yearly decrease in customs receipts since 2006.

Customs revenues stood at $1.5 billion at the end of 2011, down by 21.6 percent from the previous year, while custom receipts from the value-added tax were $1.5 billion, almost unchanged compared to the previous year.

The Port of Beirut accounted for the majority of the total, 81 percent, followed by Rafic Hariri International Airport with around eight percent. The Port of Tripoli accounted for five percent of total receipts, and the Masnaa border crossing accounted for four percent of the total.