Using interest money to pay import duties

Q: Can interest money be used to pay the import duty, taxes, anti-dumping (AD), and countervailing duties (CVD) which a government levies on imported goods?

Anti-Dumping Duties (AD): "A protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value...They come into play when a foreign company is selling an item significantly below the price at which it is being produced. The logic behind anti-dumping duties is to save domestic jobs, although critics argue that this leads to higher prices for domestic consumers and reduces the competitiveness of domestic companies producing similar goods." [http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/anti-dumping-duty.asp#ixzz3ZkRuXZqq]

Countervailing Duties (CVD): Countervailing duties (CVDs), also known as anti-subsidy duties, are trade import duties imposed under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules to neutralize the negative effects of subsidies. They are imposed after an investigation finds that a foreign country subsidizes its exports, injuring domestic producers in the importing country." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countervailing_duties]

A: Some ulama have allowed this.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)