According to the Public Relations and International Affairs of the Kish Free Zone Organization, Mohammad Kabiri, who participated online in the sixteenth meeting of the Organization's Deputy Directors Council, in remarks before the meeting agenda, while referring to the island's economic conditions in recent months, explained the details of the resilience package and government and Kish Free Zone Organization support measures for economic actors.
Kabiri, appreciating the efforts of merchants and economic actors to maintain their activities in difficult economic conditions, said: in the past 10 months, the southern regions of the country have faced multiple economic problems and Kish Island, due to its economic characteristics and dependence on the tourism industry, has experienced additional pressures.
Referring to efforts made to hold the Kish 05 festival and revive the island's tourism, he added: despite the increase in the number of Kish flights from four to 36 flights, restrictions imposed on some MD aircraft prevented the upward trend of flights from continuing and the number of flights is currently about 20 to 30 flights.
The CEO of the Kish Free Zone Organization, referring to follow-ups at the government and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance level, stated: with the cooperation of government members and understanding of the economic conditions of the southern regions, especially the islands, approvals and orders have been issued to support businesses until the end of this year. These approvals were communicated to relevant agencies at last week's Security Council and emphasis was placed on their immediate implementation.
Kabiri, appreciating the government's support, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, the Plan and Budget Organization, the First Vice President and the Executive Vice President of the President and the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Free and Special Economic Zones, said: these collective supports and measures have been put on the agenda to reduce the economic problems of economic actors and provide the grounds for the return of prosperity to Kish Island.
He stressed: although implementing these approvals may not lead to full economic prosperity in the short term, it can reduce some of the pressures on economic actors. The Kish Free Zone Organization will also pursue the precise implementation of these approvals seriously and expects trade associations and economic actors to monitor their implementation.
Insurance, tax and banking supports for Kish economic actors
The CEO of the Kish Free Zone Organization, explaining the insurance supports of the economic resilience package, said: based on agreements made with the Social Security Organization, facilities have been considered for postponement and installment repayment of insurance arrears of economic actors. It has also been decided that health insurance coverage for individuals who faced restrictions or stoppage last year will be re-established.
Referring to tax supports, he added: deferment of tax debts and exemption of penalties are among the measures envisaged to reduce economic pressure on the island's businesses. The amount of uncollected tax so far has exceeded 9 hundred billion rials and continuation of these supports will be pursued with the cooperation of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, the National Tax Administration and provincial and local managers.
Kabiri also announced agreements made to increase the ceiling of interest-free livelihood loans to 200 million tomans and said: in a meeting with the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, the issue of increasing livelihood facilities and expanding banking supports for Kish citizens was discussed and agreements were reached in this area. Details of the complementary bank facilities package will be announced after necessary coordination is carried out.
Referring to restrictions arising from some banking regulations, he stated: necessary correspondence has been made with the Central Bank and the Governor of the Central Bank has also issued orders to remove existing obstacles. We hope that with the follow-ups made, these restrictions will be removed by the end of Aban and the holding of the Facilitation Task Force meeting at the provincial level next week will also help accelerate this process.
Increase of passenger accompanied goods exemption from $80 to $3,000
The CEO of the Kish Free Zone Organization, announcing one of the most important support measures in the field of trade and tourism, said: after several months of follow-up, with the government's agreement and the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance's notification to the Customs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the ceiling of the passenger accompanied goods exemption for the Kish Free Zone has been increased from $80 to $3,000.
Kabiri considered this decision an opportunity to strengthen tourism and increase the attractiveness of travel to the island and added: increasing the passenger accompanied goods exemption ceiling until the end of 1405 can be an effective incentive for compatriots to travel to Kish and by creating a competitive advantage compared to foreign trips, help revive the island's commercial and tourism activities.
He continued, referring to the implementation of the seaman procedure on Kish Island: contrary to some published news claiming this approval was not implemented, the seaman procedure has begun in Kish and is now in its fourth week of implementation. Also, in a meeting held at the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Free Zones with the presence of officials from the Headquarters for Combating Goods and Currency Smuggling, the rapid implementation of this approval was commended. Also, with the confirmation of the Anti-Smuggling Headquarters, the capacity for importing seaman goods for those who have acted without any violation will increase from 2 times a year to 3 times.
The CEO of the Kish Free Zone Organization, appreciating the cooperation of executive bodies and economic actors, added: businesses' use of the seaman procedure capacity can compensate for part of the losses caused by the reduction in tourist arrivals to the island. The Kish Free Zone Organization, in cooperation with relevant agencies, will pursue the implementation of this procedure and take action to remove its potential obstacles.
Kabiri also announced the start of the postal shipment procedure for goods in two island markets and said: postal and customs staff are present daily in these markets and the possibility of sending postal parcels has been provided. The implementation process of this scheme is continuously reviewed and potential problems will be resolved with the cooperation of trade associations and responsible agencies.
In another part of his remarks he announced the notification of the approval for mobile phone imports to free zones including Kish and stated: this approval was notified after more than 18 months of follow-up and considering the determined ceiling and quota, it is predicted to be implemented by the end of Aban. The determined tariffs can also provide grounds for economic actors to benefit from new commercial capacities.
Kabiri added: implementing this approval, despite the limitations set on the number and ceiling of mobile phone imports, can be another incentive for tourists to travel to Kish. The Kish Free Zone Organization seeks to use the capacity of new approvals to strengthen commercial activities and increase the attractiveness of travel to the island.
Facilitating businesses' current expenses and support for housing provision
The CEO of the Kish Free Zone Organization, referring to support for businesses that have faced problems in paying current expenses, said: Kish Water and Electricity Company and Mahtab Company have been asked to provide the necessary conditions to facilitate the payment of water and electricity costs for economic actors. Details of these supports will be announced and efforts will be made to prevent the electricity disconnection of eligible businesses.
Kabiri also announced new facilities for vehicle imports by economic actors and stated: from the beginning of Aban, for each business activity license and proportional to the employment level, it will be possible to import one to three vehicles with a 250 million toman discount on customs duties.
He emphasized: these measures are part of the supports envisaged to reduce the economic pressure on the island's businesses. Although the extent of these supports may not meet all the needs of economic actors, they indicate the Kish Free Zone Organization's serious determination to accompany them and reduce economic problems in the current situation.
The CEO of the Kish Free Zone Organization continued, referring to housing support programs, announcing the pursuit of implementing the Service Housing plan for economic actors and island employees and said: efforts will be made so that by the end of Aban, beneficiaries can access service housing within the envisaged token mechanism and at cost price so that part of household economic pressure in the field of housing provision is reduced.
He also added, emphasizing the continuation of the island's cultural and tourism programs: joy and social vitality are manifestations of the dynamism of life in southern Iran and the Kish Free Zone Organization, in cooperation with the private sector and various island communities, will seriously continue the initiated path to strengthen social vitality and tourism prosperity.
The CEO of the Kish Free Zone Organization finally expressed hope that with the full implementation of the resilience package and the continued cooperation of the private sector and the island's management, the grounds for overcoming difficult economic conditions will be provided and Kish will once again experience economic prosperity.
He emphasized that achieving this goal requires the synergy of all sectors and continued support for economic actors.