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Increased import taxes drive Gaza auto dealers around the bend

Auto dealers in the Gaza Strip are facing a double taxation policy that is slashing their profits, amid an already precarious industry and deteriorating living conditions.
A Palestinian policeman loyal to Hamas stands next to lines of cars as drivers wait to fill them with fuel outside a petrol station in Gaza City September 15, 2013. The Gaza Strip is experiencing a shortage in fuel smuggled in via tunnels dug beneath the Gaza-Egypt border as Egyptian security forces have stepped up a crackdown campaign on the tunnels since July, residents said. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS TRANSPORT) - RTX13LZS
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Hamas-affiliated Ministry of Finance imposed a 25% tax on imported cars in the Gaza Strip in early June, raising the ire of auto dealers, who suspended all import activity.

The auto dealers association in the Gaza Strip decided during an emergency meeting held June 6 to halt the importation of vehicles until the ministry backs down on its decision.

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