At Customs: Plaudits or protest?
By Aurelio Pedroso and Manuel Alberto Ramy
HAVANA – On Tuesday, the daily Granma devoted almost three quarters of one of its eight pages to a cursory explanation of “The New Standards for the Payment of Customs Duties.”
That night, while many Cubans awaited the prime-time TV newscast to learn more about the new regulations, the anchor man reported on five news items, none of them related to the subject. The newscast didn’t even refer to the controversial topic in the time remaining.
Could it be that it underestimated something that was extremely sensitive to the citizenry? Or that some higher-up at the General Customs of the Republic (AGR) – or even the Minister of Finances and Prices (MFP) – did not feel inclined to face the camera and microphones to cast more light on what the responsible officials consider to be “of great diversity and complexity”?
Although all the data have basically been presented, given the magnitude and significance of the topic, the Communist Party daily announced that a booklet titled “Customs Standards That Every Traveler Should Know” was being printed. In less than 24 hours, the booklet was out on the newsstands.
“Now, in order to travel, I have to buy this little book that cost me 2 pesos, after standing in a long line,” we were told by a man who identified himself only as Pedro and said he was a professional something or other.
The 88-page booklet sold like hot cakes. Two men stood in line ahead of us. One bought three copies, the other, two. We bought five, for our relatives and colleagues. We saw no one buying copies for resale, though we had heard that some are doing it already.
“I paid 5 pesos, more than twice the official price,” said a friend who phoned us to tip us off.
The lines at the newsstands and the existence of resale vendors are an indication that many on this island want to know if the new measures will be good or bad for them. And they’re people who understand all about shipments via sea, postal service and couriers. For every five or six Cubans on the island, there is one abroad.
Beyond the reasons given by the authorities, which include expediting the passage of travelers through the airport (something that’s hard to believe), we can’t help thinking of the saying “the just shall pay as much as the sinner.” In our opinion, these new regulations are intended mainly to put “mules” (couriers) out of business – but there’s more to it.
“This will be my last trip,” said an unnamed “mule” from Miami, as he left Terminal 2 and walked to the parking lot pushing a cart loaded with baggage. Walking next to him was a man who could have been a friend or a relative, pushing a similar cart with even more baggage.
Mules travel for free and get to visit their families, courtesy of the “importers.” But it is the “importers” who will suffer the most, said the first man, nodding toward the second, who had met him at the airport.
The importers are the people who distribute the merchandise or benefit directly from it. “We bring everything for everyone, for relatives and resale vendors,” the unnamed courier told us.
The Customs regulations “that every traveler should know” have been explained (or at least interpreted) by various foreign news agencies established on the island. What the political authorities should know is that the measures are and will be unpopular.
Medicines remain duty-free. Not so the basic foods, which remain much too expensive and whose variety on the island is limited. Besides, Cuban consumers can never be sure if the foods will always be available; they might disappear for months due to unstable supplies.
Small eateries and the street stands that sell cheap goods could be wiped out by the high Customs tariffs, because vendors would be forced to raise their prices accordingly – beyond the reach of ordinary buyers.
For example, take Alicia, a beautiful 41-year-old entrepreneur. She is shutting down the little shop in which she sold garments “that came to me from Miami, Ecuador and Cancún and I could sell as cheaply as the clothing sold at the major stores – or cheaper.”
She and her husband set up the little shop in their house, four years ago. “It was illegal, true, but no one ratted on us,” she says. With their earnings, they bought a car that the husband drives as a taxi “from Havana Center to Pando Ferrer Hospital in Marianao.” Alicia admits that “we make between 1,000 and 1,200 pesos per day.”
[Translator’s Note: Between 38 U.S. dollars and 45 dollars.]
Illegal vendors are not the only ones hurt. Legal vendors suffer, too. Either they reduce their stock or raise their prices. Either decision leads to the same outcome: “We’ll have to shut down business and return our license (vending permit)” says another clothing vendor, who holds a legal permit.
Gastronomy will also be affected, in terms of food for family consumption and food for paladares (private restaurants), many of which depend on the service of the “mules.”
“The decision should have been made if the markets for restaurant supplies had been established first. We have a permit for our ‘paladar.’ Now, they’re squeezing us and I don’t know what will happen to me,” says the owner of a small private restaurant.
So, before entering or leaving the island, in addition to the paperwork and the high duties, travelers will have to spend long hours studying the new regulations. If eventually, as you face the Customs inspector, you still don’t understand those rules, the Customs booklet explains how to cope:
“At airports, supervisors wear a red vest with yellow letters. Passengers can turn to them to request advice, express their concerns or voice their complaints about the regulations or the behavior of the Customs officials.”
