ARGENTINA Country Profile

Customs Administration

Individual Corruption

The Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer 2005 reveals that citizens identify the customs administration as a highly corrupt institution.

Business Corruption

According to Global Integrity 2007 and other observers, customs administration has been rife with corruption. Some observers suggest that this situation is changing, but companies should note that others still consider the customs officials at border crossings to be coimeros, i.e. officials who receive bribes.

Business surveys by the World Bank & IFC report ambiguous figures concerning the ease of clearing exports through customs. However, it is reported that a small proportion of companies give gifts in return for obtaining import licences.

Political Corruption

Global Integrity 2008 reports that customs laws are not enforced equally and without discrimination and the General Audit Office has detected that Customs has several deficiencies in control, which sometimes is related to poor infrastructure.

 In 2008, the head of AFIP, he agency responsible for the national tax collection, was removed due to political differencies with Custom's head and due to corruption suspicions.

Frequency

The World Bank & IFC: Doing Business 2010:
- A standard export shipment of goods requires 9 documents and takes 13 days at an average cost of USD 1,480 per container.

- A standard import shipment of goods requires 7 documents and takes 16 days at an average cost of USD 1,810 per container.

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010:
- Business leaders give the efficiency of customs procedures (formalities regulating the entry and exit of merchandise) in Saudi Arabia a score of 2.8 on a 7-point scale (1 being 'extremely inefficient' and 7 'extremely efficient').

The World Bank & IFC: Enterprise Surveys 2006:
- It takes an average of 6 days to clear exports through customs.

- It takes an average of 8 days to clear imports from customs.

- Very few (0.6%) companies report that they expect to give gifts in order to obtain an import licence.

Transparency International: Global Corruption Barometer 2005:
- Customs administration scores 4.2 on a 5-point scale in the public opinion survey (1 being 'not at all corrupt' and 5 'extremely corrupt').