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State Customs Committee talks support for Azerbaijani SMEs

Business Materials 22 July 2020 17:41 (UTC +04:00)
State Customs Committee talks support for Azerbaijani SMEs

BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 22

By Fidan Babayeva – Trend:

The appropriate work is being carried out in the customs clearance zones to create new "Friends of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)" networks of the Agency for Development of SMEs, which renders SMEs support and various services, including the creation or expansion of the business, Head of the Press and PR Department of the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee Natig Akhundov told Trend.

“The purpose is to support the Azerbaijani business entities during the spread of the pandemic in the country within the cooperation between the State Customs Committee and the Agency for the Development of SMEs,” Akhundov added.

“The Friends of SMEs network of the Agency for Development of SMEs under the Ministry of Economy has been operating in the Baku Main Customs Department of the State Customs Committee under the Ministry of Economy since July 12, 2019 to render such services as import and export operations, customs clearance and procedures, including information, consultations, legal assistance, coordination in the use of investment and export incentives,” head of the department added.

“The authorized representatives of the State Customs Committee have been operating in the House of SMEs in Azerbaijan’s Khachmaz city since February 7, 2020 to improve public services for entrepreneurs, to ensure comfortable, unhindered and transparent access for the services in a single area,” Akhundov said.

"A memorandum of understanding on cooperation and interaction between the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee and the Agency for Development of SMEs was signed on August 10, 2018 to learn from the international experience in cooperation in the field of customs legislation, organize interaction and implement joint projects,” head of the department added.

“After signing this "memorandum on mutual understanding", the priority spheres of interaction between the State Customs Committee and SMEs have been determined," Akhundov said.

As for the topic related to the support for business entities, head of the department stressed that the export customs duty is not applied in accordance with the approved decree of the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers "On the commodity nomenclature of Azerbaijan's foreign economic activity, the rate of import customs duties and the rate of export customs duties" except for animal skins, wood products, non-ferrous metals and products from non-ferrous metals.

"In accordance with Articles 165.1.3 and 187 of the Azerbaijani Tax Code, VAT at a zero (0) rate is withheld for rendering services and conducting the operations when exporting goods (including goods purchased from taxpayers registered as foreigners and stateless people in Azerbaijan," Akhundov said.

The Friends of SMEs network, the formation of which was launched in 2018, renders SMEs support and various services, including the creation or expansion of the business, the search and implementation of potential investment projects with the participation of SMEs, the protection of the rights of SMEs, as well as enlightening SMEs about the issues related to the state support mechanisms.

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