Import of 1.5 billion euros of luxury phones in the last 2 years

In recent years, the government has tried to prevent the outflow of the country’s foreign exchange resources by preventing the entry of unnecessary goods, and also to revitalize the veins of production units.

Despite the fact that in June 1397, out of 8,059 rows of imports, 2,230 rows of import tariffs were banned; But by examining the list of items imported into the country, as well as how to allocate currency for the import of some unnecessary goods, we find that despite the emphasis of the Supreme Leader, many luxury and non-essential goods are still imported into the country.

Unfortunately, the uncontrolled import of foreign goods not only distorts the consumption pattern over time, but also causes irreparable damage to the country’s production sector by increasing the desire of people to consume foreign goods. So that the import of consumer goods and some intermediate goods similar to those produced in the country; It has caused some production sectors of the country to go out of production due to the inability to compete with similar imported products.

It seems that the president of the thirteenth government should have a written plan for managing the country’s foreign trade, especially the issue of imports. Because solving the problems caused by illegal imports and getting rid of the damage caused by the activities of the “import mafia” requires careful management of the flow of goods by the future government, as well as controlling imports into capital and intermediate goods; In general, the flow of imports of goods should be regulated in such a way that it is in the direction of development of domestic products and especially the production of export-oriented goods.

The negative impact of uncontrolled imports on the desire to buy Iranian goods

Seyed Mostafa Kashefi, an economic expert, said that the idea of ​​lack of confidence in the quality of Iranian goods had penetrated the minds of some people before the revolution. Will also reduce national production; In addition to reducing GDP, unnecessary imports will have devastating effects on the unemployment rate and the living conditions of the people.

He added: “Unfortunately, low-quality Chinese goods are currently being imported into the country, and this will reduce the speed of progress and development in the country’s economy;” Because if the production process of a country is stopped, the learning speed of that country for the production of other goods will also decrease.

Referring to the limited foreign exchange resources of the country due to the sanctions, the economist said: “Improper imports put significant pressure on the foreign exchange market and increase its rate.” Also, due to the impact of the price of many goods on the exchange rate, the rate of inflation in the country will increase.

$ 800 million for banana imports alone during the sanctions years!

Regarding the import of non-essential goods into the country, Kashefi said: “Luxury cars, dog and cat food or other unnecessary items such as bananas, to which more than $ 800 million in foreign exchange has been allocated in the last three years, are among the items that can be imported.” He banned them during the economic war. Of course, if the import of these goods is prevented, measures must be taken to prevent their smuggling.

Apple’s half-billion-dollar share of mobile phone imports

Criticizing the large amount of currency allocated to the import of luxury mobile phones, he said: “In 1998, about 840 million euros and in 1999, more than 700 million euros of luxury phones were imported into the country, of which $ 500 million belonged to Apple.” Phones over € 300 in 1999 accounted for only 6% of market demand, but accounted for more than 28% of import value.

Kashefi continued: “If we allocate foreign exchange for the import of luxury handsets according to the current procedure, in the near future we will face many problems related to the country’s foreign exchange reserves.” On the other hand, due to the limited foreign exchange resources, many essential goods will be deposited in the country’s customs due to non-fulfillment of the obligation.

Emphasizing the need to ban the import of mobile phones over 300 euros into the country, the economist added: “If the import of luxury phones is banned, it will be possible to import another 5 million phones, and as a result, prices in the mobile phone market will be broken.”

The role of unregulated imports in the shortage of basic goods

He concluded by referring to the Supreme Leader’s recommendations to prevent unauthorized imports: “Despite the Supreme Leader’s emphasis on preventing the import of American phones into the country, no action has been taken in this regard yet.” It is predicted that if the illegal imports are prevented, the situation of the country’s strategic reserves will improve and we will no longer see people queuing up to buy essential goods.