Steep hike in customs fees leaves many Cubans fuming

Raul Castro

HAVANA, (Reuters) – A sharp increase in customs duties has angered many Cubans and cast a shadow over market-oriented reforms on the communist-ruled island advocated by President Raul Castro.

The move, which raises fees many times over in some cases, is expected to ratchet up prices and decrease the availability of imported merchandise. It also threaten to bankrupt some of the tens of thousands of mom-and-pop businesses that have sprung up in recent years.

“After all the good things the Revolution has accomplished,