Colombia ordered to drop customs 'service' charge

By means of Resolution 516 of June 12, 2001, the Secretariat of the Andean Community - formerly the Andean Pact - has ruled that a customs service charge on imports entering Colombia which was introduced as part of the tax reform which took effect on January 1, 2001 is in fact a levy and as such violates the rules of the Andean Community Agreement.