(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – Surinamese producers are being hit by hidden measures by Caricom countries to limit imports. Several of these countries have special bodies that help their own business community export, and offer protection against foreign competition as well, says the Association of Surinamese Manufacturers (ASFA). ASFA delegations visited Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad earlier this year to find out how the governments there support the business community.
These three countries each also have special organizations that support the business community through tax measures or special privileges in ports. They help export companies with administration and financing. “Most Caricom countries have secret subsidies that are being hidden by such organizations,” says ASFA chairman Rahid Doekhie. “They have built a lead this way.” Doekhie provides the example of a Caricom rule that states import levies must be paid for raw materials imported from outside the block. A few Caricom countries bypass this rule by paying back the levies to importing companies afterwards. Another example is Guyana which levied a tax on plastic packaging for years which only applied to foreign products.
