Ministry of Finance decided to postpone ports tariff reform

The Ministry of Finance has postponed by six months the reform in wharfage fees at the three Israeli ports
 
According to the latest draft on the wharfage fees' reform sent by the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Transport last week it appears that Ministry of Finance has postponed by six months the reform in wharfage fees at the three Israeli ports.
 
The wharfage fee is a border charge, applicable on trade through maritime ports.  Israel's ports charge importers 1.02% of the c.i.f. value, maximum US$250 per metric ton, of imports into Israel for the use of ports, whereas exporters using the same services face a charge of 0.2% on the f.o.b. value.  Total annual income from the wharfage fee is about NIS 800 million.
 
The draft states that the Ministry of Finance will publish the directives in January 2010, the original date for the ports reform, and that the reform will come into effect in July 2010.
 
The cabinet original decision on the ports' privatization, set for the end of May 2010 as the deadline for completing the process.
 
The new draftis the first deviation from this timetable. The Ministry did not provide any reasons for the postponement.