The Miami-based company Apacargo Express has obtained a license to export new and used cars, trucks, trailers, tractors and agricultural equipment to Cuba, according to the Univisión 23 journalist. mario vallejo.
The authorization, for 10 million dollars, was approved by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) of the US Department of the Treasury as an exemption to the embargo, and has as a condition that the sale is for private entrepreneurs and, in no way case, for the state.
“Right now it is aimed at small and medium-sized companies so that they can import their cars, for their exploitation,” told the chain Eduardo Aparicio, owner of the authorized business.
The businessman explained that there is a high demand but that the first step is to ask the importing company for a quote to find out what the final value of the operation will be. Aparicio considered that Cuban customs do not charge many taxes, but it is expensive to pay the importing company, which is asking for around 30% of the invoice value of the vehicle.
“The embargo obviously exists, but if we have flexibilities from the Department of Commerce to do these deals with Cuba, I think it is the path to something different that can be forthcoming”
Based on other experiences such as cargo companies, he said, it is “quite manageable.” According to Aparicio’s example, to a car of 20,000 dollars, it would be necessary to add “6,000 dollars of taxes and about 10,000 dollars between logistics and documentation.”
“The embargo obviously exists, but if we have flexibilities from the Department of Commerce to do these deals with Cuba, I think it is the path to something different that can be forthcoming in the near future,” he said.
Aparicio has spent years obtaining OFAC licenses to do business in Cuba. According to your company pagefounded in 2015, offers consulting services, legal and economic advice, planning and monitoring of business trips, air tickets, hotels, internal transportation, translation and development of business plans.
Last October, the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) approved an exclusive license in favor of the distributor Premier Automotive Export (PAE), based in Columbia, Maryland, for the export of motorcycles and electric skateboards, news that was both celebrated and criticized by Cubans inside and outside the Island.
On this occasion, the initial reactions have been mostly mockery. At a time of fuel shortage, with vehicles queuing for days and hours to try to refuel at gas stations, buying a car is not among the priorities of many Cubans. “But what are they going to work with, if there is no oil, gasoline or water there”, reproached a user. Others took it with more humor: “Let them take Tesla because with what gasoline are they going to walk?”
There were also several commentators who demanded shipments of food rather than vehicles and who are wary that, despite the restrictions, Miami cars will not finally end up in the hands of the regime: “They are sent to the self-employed and then the State seizes them and pass into the hands of the government.
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