LIMA, PE.- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated that cargo transport will have a global growth of 2.6% this year, while for Latin America it will be 2.2% , although the increase will depend on infrastructure, efficient regulatory frameworks and a lower tax burden.

“Latin America remains an extremely expensive region for exporting and importing. We need to be competitive, reduce or eliminate taxes and VAT (Value Added Tax) in several countries, as this puts us at a disadvantage compared to other regions,” explained Peter Cerdá, IATA’s regional vice president for the Americas.

At a press conference, within the framework of the 19th IATA World Cargo Symposium (WCS) , he described the above as a serious problem, although in certain countries such as Colombia, Brazil and Mexico there has been progress.

“But we need better definitions of regulations, elimination of taxes that keep getting too high, and infrastructure improvements,” he reiterated.

Cerdá emphasized that e-commerce and the agricultural sector have shown aggressive growth , the latter mainly during peak seasons on the Chile-China route, as well as the export of flowers from Colombia or Ecuador to Europe or the United States.

He considered the market to be more competitive. “We were more limited in the past, in that connectivity that depended on other transit destinations to move cargo; that is changing, and I think Brazil is a great power, but again, it has regulations that make air transport not competitive globally,” he emphasized.

“We are growing, not at the same rate, but there is more connectivity and more products being exported. With e-commerce growing alongside the middle class, we will see more growth in the future, which until now has been limited,” he explained.

At the event, he recalled that Peru built the new Jorge Chávez Airport without a master plan for cargo handling infrastructure. “We are using outdated services at an airport that is extremely important for cargo,” he stated.

Peter Cerdá indicated that while improving passenger infrastructure is critical in the region, improvements for cargo are also important .

He explained that digitalization is another area where the region still needs to improve. “Technology is something we struggle to develop and implement, and that’s another area where we have work to do, not only as a sector or government, but as an ecosystem to improve that area.”

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El cargo Efficient regulatory frameworks and lower taxes would boost air cargo in Latin America apareció primero en T21.

The Tax Administration Service (SAT) announced that it identified improper practices by courier and messaging companies in the importation of various goods such as clothing, home decorations, jewelry, kitchenware, toys, electronics, among others, aiming to avoid paying the General Import Tax (IGI) and the Value Added Tax (VAT).

The supervisory body found that imports involving foreign companies engaged in online sales, e-commerce platforms, consignees, and courier and messaging companies have increased. By omitting tax payments and failing to comply with non-tariff regulations and restrictions, they could incur in the crime of smuggling and tax evasion.

The government agency also published the First Modification to Annex 5 of the General Rules of Foreign Trade for 2024, which indicates that, for the clearance of goods through registered courier and messaging companies, Article 59 of the Law establishes the obligations that those who introduce or extract goods from the national territory must comply with, which will not apply to imports and exports made when using the simplified procedure referred to in Article 88 of the Law.

However, rule 3.7.5. states that this procedure cannot be applied to the importation of goods whose shipment is part of a series of shipments made or planned with the purpose of evading customs duties or taxes, or avoiding any regulation.

Instead, rule 3.7.35., section I, states that clearance without payment of the IGI and VAT may be made when the goods’ customs value does not exceed 50 US dollars or its equivalent in national or foreign currency.

“For example, a taxpayer in Mexico places an order for various goods online, paying 100 (one hundred) United States dollars or its equivalent in national or foreign currency; the shipment of said order cannot benefit from the exemption from payment of contributions referred to in rule 3.7.35., section I, because the amount exceeds what is indicated by the rule, and even because the goods may be subject to compliance with non-tariff regulations and restrictions,” the document states.

It added that in this case, companies and e-commerce platforms fragment the order into small individual packages to evade the restrictions contained in rule 3.7.35., section I, and/or omit to describe or incorrectly describe the imported merchandise, or declare a customs value lower than that corresponds, “illegally avoiding paying the corresponding contributions.”

Therefore, SAT considers as improper practices that alter foreign trade operations:

• Manipulating orders that are sent on the same day, week, or month, dividing them into individual packages in which the original value of the order is undervalued, so that the value of each package does not exceed 50 United States dollars.
• Assisting, aiding, helping, cooperating, contributing, collaborating, coordinating, or directly or indirectly participating in improperly applying the simplified clearance of goods through courier and messaging companies; omitting payment of the IGI and VAT; as well as not describing or incorrectly describing products.
• To anyone who advises, counsels, provides services, or participates in the realization or implementation of any of the above practices.

Finally, SAT indicated that it carries out audit actions to strengthen surveillance and combat such practices and urges companies in the sector to operate within the framework of legality and avoid causing harm to the federal treasury.

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El cargo Sat Identifies Irregular Imports in E-commerce apareció primero en T21.