Customs duty on tomatoes abolished

Minister of Finance signed the directive abolishing customs duty on tomatoes until end of 2010. Imports will come from all over the world
 
The Israel Tax Authority issued a directive last week abolishing customs duty on imported. Tomatoes. The decision was taken by Minister of Finance, Yuval Steinitz, following the 74% jump in fresh tomato prices in September.
 
This price increase was, according to the central bureau of statistics, responsible for about half of the 0.3% rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) last month.
 
The customs duty on tomatoes is NIS 0.90 per kilogram. Cancellation of the customs duty is intended to facilitate tomato imports and reduce the tomato shortage caused by weather damage.The Minister of Finance signed the directive in response to a request by Minister of Agriculture Shalom Simhon.
 
The duty exemption will apply through the end of the year and to the quota of 4,000 tons of imports. Imports will come from all over the world.