Guatemalan authorities expressed this Tuesday (18.06.2024/XNUMX/XNUMX) the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Superintendency of Tax Administration, through the Customs Office, and the National Customs Authority of Panama, which establishes greater cooperation, provision of technical assistance and exchange of information between both customs offices.
During a press conference, Superintendent Marco Livio Díaz Reyes recalled that such cooperation was signed within the framework of the XXVI Regional Conference of Customs Directors of the Americas and the Caribbean, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on May 13, 2024.
Diaz Reyes also highlighted the benefits of the memorandum that “optimizes the facilitation of trade between both countries, through solutions based on connectivity and the development of capacities in the customs field, applying good practices in the use of technology and intelligence and risk management tools, complying with customs procedures for the correct liquidation of taxes.”
"Furthermore, it is a bilateral cooperation initiative that will allow for non-intrusive inspections, with both parties committing to maintaining the confidentiality of the information shared," he said.
During the presentation, the head of the SAT of Guatemala pointed out the Regulatory framework to optimize such exchange of information and technical assistance in an institutionalized manner, as well as to improve the effectiveness of the application of customs legislation.
In this regard, the official indicated that the signing of the Memorandum of the Customs of Guatemala and Panama was carried out within the framework of the Multilateral Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the National Customs Directorates of Latin America, Spain and Portugal (COMALEP) and the Trade Facilitation Agreement of the WTO signed by both countries.
Additionally, the written document was signed on the basis of “pillar one of the SAFE Framework (Customs-Customs),” Reyes said. Consequently, “this mutual customs assistance will allow data exchange to be considered throughout the logistics chain, particularly in high-risk shipments, to support risk assessment and facilitate clearance,” he concluded.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the Customs of Guatemala and Panama will be valid for three years.
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