ZAGREB, Sept 16 (Hina) - Croatian Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Ivica Racan on Saturday, read a statement issued by Crkvenac's cabinet today. The resignation was offered along with a
decision that the Finance Ministry's instruction of September 11 limiting duty-free import of some groceries be no longer implemented as of Monday.
ZAGREB, Sept 16 (Hina) - Croatian Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac
tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Ivica Racan on Saturday,
read a statement issued by Crkvenac's cabinet today.
The resignation was offered along with a decision that the Finance
Ministry's instruction of September 11 limiting duty-free import
of some groceries be no longer implemented as of Monday. #L#
The implementation of the Instruction, which limits duty-free
import of eight groups of products (sugar, oil, coffee, detergent,
sweets, fruit and vegetables, non-alcoholic drinks and milk and
dairy products), is postponed until customs rates are decreased and
other forms of reduction of domestic prices, i.e. the adjustment of
prices in the country and abroad, is achieved. This measure goes
into force on Monday, September 18 2000, the statement read.
The Ministry's instruction, which, within the current privilege of
duty-free import of groceries worth up to 300 kuna, limits the
import of some goods, was adopted in line with the Croatian Customs
Law and international practice. The instruction (which went into
force last Monday) was adopted as part of measures taken to prevent
massive, organised smuggling of goods from abroad, the statement
read.
The Finance Ministry and the Customs Administration will step up
their activities and introduce new measures aimed at preventing
smuggling and organised crime.
The Ministry and other competent ministries and the Croatian
Government will direct their activity toward reducing prices,
including changes to the customs system, which will be made once
Croatia's admission to the World Trade Organisation is ratified by
parliament.
The reduction of customs duties and prices will particularly refer
to the prices of agricultural and food products which are important
for the living standards of all citizens.
Considering all these circumstances, as well as very stormy
reactions by the public in a complex social situation, the
Instruction will remain in force only in the section which provides
that the privilege of duty-free import of goods worth up to 300 kuna
can be exercised only once a day and not on a one-time basis, as was
the case before the adoption of the instruction, since many
resellers would go shopping abroad a dozen times a day and stockpile
goods for illegal sale, without paying customs duties and taxes,
read the statement, signed by spokeswoman Sanja Mardjetko
Kurecic.
(hina) rml