A meeting of the Biscuit, Chocolate, and Confectionery Committee was held at the headquarters of the Damascus and Rif Dimashq Chamber of Industry, chaired by Mr. Abdullah Al-Zayed, Secretary of the Chamber. The meeting was attended by Ms. Ghada Fawwaz, Director of Tax Compliance at the General Commission for Taxes and Fees, Mr. Anas Traboulsi, Member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, along with several committee members.
The meeting addressed the challenges of the tax system. Ms. Ghada Fawwaz explained the ministry’s direction toward amending outdated tax laws to better align with the needs of the local market and manufacturers. She noted that the Ministry of Finance aims to abolish the old consumption spending tax and work on amending Decree No. 11 of 2015 to ensure benefits for all concerned parties. She also confirmed the ministry’s plan to implement an invoicing system in the coming years, where taxes will be applied in an organized and fair manner from the industrial producer to the final consumer without harming any party.
For his part, Mr. Abdullah Al-Zayed affirmed that the Chamber continues its efforts to address existing challenges and praised the significant shift in the Ministry of Finance’s working mechanisms toward achieving fairness and simplifying procedures under its new administrations, which differ from the previous system. He also highlighted the ministry’s openness to listening and discussing all issues related to industrialists.
Mr. Anas Traboulsi, Head of the Chamber’s Exhibitions Committee, stressed the importance of participation from various industrial sectors—especially the food sector—in local and international exhibitions to strengthen the role of local products and open new opportunities in global markets. He emphasized the need for Syrian industries to participate in the Jeddah Exhibition scheduled for August 17, 2026, noting that the Chamber will provide full support and facilitation for participating national companies of all sizes, contributing to the advancement of Syrian national industry.
The meeting also discussed the issue of the influx of imported goods and their negative impact on local products. It was indicated that the Customs Administration will soon issue fair customs duties on imported finished products as a result of joint cooperation with customs authorities to achieve fairness, thereby protecting local products and promoting fair competition between domestic manufacturers and imported goods.
Participants further discussed the need to expedite amendments to social security laws and called for solutions that balance the rights of workers and industrialists, such as adopting a three-month probation period for workers before their official registration in social security. They also emphasized the importance of raising awareness among inspection teams of the Social Security Institution that visit industrial facilities to avoid existing complications.
February 21, 2026
The Syrian Industrial Directory