Cabinet zeros customs duties on solar systems and includes food facilitation package

The Cabinet, during its regular session chaired by Council President Ali Falih Al-Zaidi, approved zeroing the customs duties imposed on imported solar energy systems with the aim of supporting the private sector and encouraging citizens to acquire them, according to a Cabinet statement.

Earlier today, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers directed the ministries of Finance, Trade, Agriculture and Health to zero all customs duties imposed on products including eggs, poultry, live meat and imported medicines, according to the wording of the decision.

In the text of the decision, the General Secretariat attributed this measure to a Cabinet decision taken last Tuesday during the 23rd regular session, describing it as an extension of the policies adopted at that session.

These decisions come amid a wave of rising prices for vegetables and red and white meats in local markets across provinces, which official bodies attribute to the repercussions of exchange-rate volatility and the implementation of a new dollar pricing mechanism.

Through this package of customs facilitation and by allowing imports, the federal government is betting on restoring financial balance to citizens’ daily food basket and curbing commercial speculation, according to statements from the Council and the decision issued by the General Secretariat.