Azerbaijan, Baku, June 19 /Trend H.Veliyev/
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of Azerbaijan is preparing a proposal to reduce customs duties on imported components for high technology products in the country, Minister Ali Abbasov said at a meeting held jointly with the ruling party Yeni Azerbaijan on Tuesday.
The minister said the fee for importing computers is three per cent, while the import duty of components for their production is 10-15 per cent of the cost.
Abbasov noted that despite the dynamic development of the ICT sector in Azerbaijan, exports are far behind imports.
"A high level of imports of high technology products into the country is observed due to the dynamic growth of the automation process of various government agencies," Abbasov said.
Optimisation of tax legislation and the availability of concessional lending are required for the development of the ICT sector in Azerbaijan and increase of its competitiveness.
A project of establishing a fund to support ICT which will provide companies with the possibility of issuing loans and grants, is being implemented in Azerabaijan. The Fund will allow local companies to receive both monetary and fiscal benefits, Abbasov said.