Tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of gifts and badly needed supplies, sent here by overseas donors for Israelis made homeless by Scud missile attacks, are piling up in the custom houses undelivered because the import tax has not been paid.
Yediot Achronot reported Thursday that 20 transistor radios, 15 tons of clothing, 3,000 blankets and toys valued at $30,000 had been frozen by customs.
A group of young Jews from France who volunteered to work in Israel arrived recently with thousands of dollar’s worth of gifts for the missile victims. They were cleared by customs, but the gifts were not allowed to leave the airport until the duty was paid.
The goods were released eventually, but not before the volunteers’ parents, the mayors of several towns and the heads of institutions pledged to pay.
Mordechai Bareket, the director of customs, confirmed the situation but said he could do nothing about it.
Customs are levied to protect local producers from foreign competition, Bareket explained. He suggested that in the future, overseas philanthropists send money to purchase goods locally.
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