GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree Jan. 3 canceling tax exemptions in the Gaza Strip. The decree abolished Decree No. 18 of 2007, which exempted all citizens in the southern governorates from paying taxes and customs fees.
Louay Hanash, the director general of the Customs, Excise Duties and VAT division at the Finance Ministry, told Al-Monitor, “The Ministry of Finance sent to the Israel Customs Administration a list of goods indicating the new increased customs duties to be imposed as of Jan. 14 in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.”