Update on Freight Charges
With reference to an article published on the Nyastimes website titled "MRA adjusts freight charges for foreign goods", the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) is advising taxpayers and all stakeholders that the authority has not changed the international freight charges.
The freight charges have gone up worldwide as a result of high demand for shipping and congestion at ports as parts of the World economy is recovering from COVID-19.
In the referenced circular, the authority is just informing its staff about the changes like a mother going to the market and finding that the prices of soap has gone up and is reporting back to her family, the adjusted prices.
In calculating duty, the MRA will continue to use the freight charges as declared by the importer. The importers are already paying these freight charges to the shipping companies as we speak.
The MRA will use these adjusted freight charges as Guide Values for freight inline with the ones obtained on the international market.
Please note that Guide Values are for reference purposes and may only be used where the authority has not been provided with credible information.