The Syrian cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa Miro, canceled on Wednesday the 40-year-old agricultural tax law, reported the Daily Star newspaper.
The 1957 law had aimed to increase treasury revenues by levying an average tax on all agricultural products being imported or exported by Syria.
Considered burdensome for farmers, the tax, which currently amounts to 7 percent, was seen as an obstacle for agricultural cooperation between Syria and its neighbors, leading many farmers to cease exporting large quantities to avoid taxation, said the paper.
The new law, which exempts from all agricultural products of Syrian origin and those imported from nearby countries, also applies to any product entering Syria on a temporary basis for manufacturing and re-exporting.
The move, added the paper, is in line with several other agricultural reforms taken in recent months aimed at encouraging farmers to increase production.
Agricultural contracts, which give the landowner the legal right to evict any farmer residing on his land in return for compensation of 33 cents for every 1,000 square meters of land, is currently under study and due to be canceled – Albawaba.com
