The Egyptian Customs Authority is reported as saying it would impose export fees on the raw materials of marble, granite and sands as ordered by the state's Trade Ministry in an attempt to optimise the added value of their finished products.
The decision aims to reduce exports of marble, granite, and sand and includes a ban on the minerals quartz, talc, manganese, and feldspar
According to the ministry's decision, each tonne of raw marble and granite will be levied by LE200 (€20.8) in exporting fees, while a tonne of any kind of exported sands will face a fee of LE50 (€5.2).
“The imposed fees aim at reducing the exports of these products but we have yet to calculate the expected revenues as we will wait for the exporters reactions,” Magdy Abdel Aziz, the head of the central department at the cargo customs section of Cairo airport, is reported as saying.
“I don’t think fees will spook exporters from their business, they aren't too high.”
Egypt's exports of raw marble and granite have risen from 2.1 million tonnes in 2007 to 2.9 million tonne last year, recording LE2.4 billion(US$348 million/€259 million) in revenues.
