A indústria gráfica na Cidade de Maputo: impacto das tarifas alfandegárias e dos constrangimentos na utilização da capacidade

Abstract

The structure of the printing industry in Mozambique, until May 2003, was 86 companies, twice as many as in 1988. Maputo City ranks first with 65 industrial units representing 76%, according to preliminary data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). In the group of these industrial units are included the publishing houses and serigraphies that do not print, due to the classification of economic activities (CAE) in force. In the survey carried out in the field, I found that there are 38 industrial units that print, in Maputo City, with 6 associated and 1 to be started. In this context, I contacted 31 companies of which 20 accepted interviews and responded to the survey. The policies adopted, in the years 1975-1986 and 1987 up to now, did little to benefit the printing industry in the investments in equipment and human capital, which may have contributed to the poor competitiveness with the outside world. The adoption of the new customs tax regime does not benefit the development of the industry, because the constraints imposed to obtain the tax benefit for imported inputs discriminate small and medium industrial units and, to a certain extent, even the large ones, because the maintenance of the annual turnover of six million escudos, which is one of the constraints, depends on demand and until the constraints inherent in the production of books, notebooks and other importable products are corrected, the industry will always have difficulties. All the importable inputs for the production of the book, magazine, newspaper and notebook, products selected for the study, pay tariffs ranging from 2.5% to 25%, 17% VAT and general customs emoluments. And the final importable and exportable products, book and notebook are exempt from tariffs and VAT while newspaper and magazine pay 2.5% but do not pay VAT and have no tariffs or export subsidies (Tables 4 and 5). To assess capacity utilization, constraints on capacity utilization, what discourages the industry from importing inputs directly, and the impact of the customs tax regime on the printing industry's capacity utilization to supply local and foreign markets, I calculated and analyzed i. the capacity utilization rate; ii. the constraints on capacity utilization; iii. the reasons that discourage the printing industry from importing raw material directly; and iv. the impact of the customs tax regime on the printing industry's capacity utilization to supply the local and foreign markets. Capacity utilization and industrial protection have been the subject of intensive studies. The objectives of these studies are to assess the degree of capacity utilization and the impact of the customs tax regime on the raw material importable for production and the final products importable and exportable. To assess capacity utilization in production and the impact of the customs tax regime, researchers have used the following measurement instruments: (i) capacity utilization rate (CUT); (ii) effective rate of protection (EPR); and (iii) export promotion rate (TPX); I collected the data based on interviews and surveys with the industrial units. I calculated the TUC, TEP and TPX based on the average operating time and cost structure of the printing industry in Maputo City.

(TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)