Damascus and Rural Damascus Chamber of Industry’s Textile Industries Committee Meets to Discuss Customs Items and Production Costs.
A meeting of the Textile Industries Committee was held at the headquarters of the Damascus and Rural Damascus Chamber of Industry, as a continuation of the textile sector meetings to discuss and re-examine customs items and produce data consistent with the current economic reality. The meeting was presided over by Mr. Adham al-Tabba, the Chamber’s Treasurer and Vice Chairman of the Textile Sector, and Mr. Anas Traboulsi, Board Member, alongside the committee members.
The meeting addressed proposals submitted by the Ready-made Garments Industry Committee, particularly those related to customs items, and presented the committee's suggestions regarding amending customs duties on textile products such as yarns, fabrics, and ready-made clothing. Furthermore, the impact of raising customs duties on yarns on fabric manufacturers and production costs was discussed. Attendees compared several factors affecting the industry between Syria and other countries such as Egypt and Turkey, including energy, raw materials, and production costs. They also highlighted the challenges faced by local manufacturers due to these significant differences and the necessity of supporting the sector by providing advantages similar to those applied in competing countries.
Attendees presented numerous proposals, including amending the fabric tariff to align with the increase in yarn customs prices and defining specific customs tariffs for woven and knitted fabrics according to clear equations. Others called for providing incentive advantages to industrialists to improve competitiveness within the market, emphasizing the need to provide accurate information to official authorities to overcome current obstacles and apply a multi-category customs tariff based on the quality of imported woven and knitted fabrics.
The committee demanded the imposition of anti-dumping duties on goods imported from Egypt to protect national industries, given the energy subsidies in Egypt. The demands also included direct government support for energy and fuel costs due to the high costs suffered by the sector. It was decided to send official letters to relevant authorities, such as the Ministry of Energy to reduce fuel prices and the Ministry of Finance to adopt a rate not exceeding 5% as a maximum limit for income tax on the textile sector due to the challenges it faces.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the attendees agreed to prepare official letters addressed to the relevant authorities including these demands, with the aim of achieving stability and enhancing the competitiveness of this vital sector.
16-2-2026
Syrian Industrial Guide
