Customs department reports JD1.5b in 2018 revenues

AMMAN — The Jordan Customs Department’s (JCD) revenues for 2018 stood at JD1.5 billion, and are expected to increase after a free trade agreement (FTA) with Turkey was terminated last year, according to the JCD.

JCD Director Abdulmajeed Rahamneh said on Tuesday that the cancellation of the FTA with Turkey will lead to an increase in the department's revenues, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

In May 2018, Jordan officially informed Turkey of its intent to completely terminate the FTA and began, some months later, imposing custom duties ranging from 20 to 30 per cent on Turkish imports.

During a meeting with journalists on Tuesday, Rahamneh said that the department has requested an amendment to its law, allowing the JCD director to close shops selling smuggled goods of all types. 

The director added that customs patrols have intensified their inspection campaigns on cars crossing the border, in a bid to curb the smuggling of goods, especially cigarettes, according to Petra.

He also said that JCD personnel have foiled multiple attempts to smuggle a total of 200,000 cartons of cigarettes into the country since the beginning of 2019, 75 per cent of which were seized at the Jaber crossing with Syria, Petra reported.