A unified customs law which was approved by the 20th summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) in Riyadh last month will be enforced next year, an official at the Riyadh-based GCC general secretariat, was quoted by the Gulf News as saying.
The law was formed by the Gulf Customs Union and the Uniform Customs Tax Association, said the paper.
The mechanics of the tax collection system and the distribution of collected duties will be reviewed on Sunday by the committee working on the Gulf Customs Union in Riyadh, the official said.
The law, said the paper, was approved by the customs directors-general in 1999 and later forwarded to the 20th summit.
Customs officials then instructed that the law be used as a guide until 2001 while they gave it further study.
"But when their examinations were not finalized, they asked for an extension until 2002," the official said.
During their summit, GCC states agreed to improve their cooperation in the fields of defense, trade and economy.
The GCC include the Gulf countries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.
