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35 percent. Although the DIEMs expired on December 31, 2010, and the government of Argentina has not formally extended them, they are still being charged. The plan was to take effect in three stages with the first phase to have been implemented no later than January 1, 2012. That deadline was not met, however, and the CCC still must be ratified by MERCOSUR?s member countries

Nontariff Barriers

Argentina has imposed a growing number of customs and licensing procedures and requirements that makes importing U.S. products more difficult. A number of U.S. companies with operations in Argentina have expressed concerns that the measures have delayed exports of U.S. goods to Argentina and, in some cases, stopped exports of certain U.S. goods to Argentina altogether. During 2011, the government of Argentina increased its reliance on a growth strategy that is based heavily on import substitution. To carry out this strategy, Argentina increased its use of non-automatic import licenses (see more detailed discussion below) and imposed other nontariff barriers. In early January 2012, Argentina announced a new measure requiring companies to file online affidavits and wait for government review and approval before they can import. The measure became effective on February 1, 2012.

Argentina prohibits the import of many used capital goods. Local legislation requires compliance with strict conditions on the entry of those used capital goods that may be imported, which are also subject to import taxes up to 28 percent and a 0.5 percent statistical tax. On December 31, 2010, Argentina reintroduced an import prohibition on used clothing, which is due to expire in 2015.

Import Licensing:

Argentina imposes automatic import licensing requirements on 2,100 tariff lines, In 2011, Argentina continued and expanded the use of non-automatic licenses to protect sectors that the Argentine government deems sensitive. U.S industry representatives complain that the wait time for the issuance of non-automatic licenses often extends beyond 60 days to 100 days or more, partly due to backlog of license applications. Since 2005, the government of Argentina has also required non-automatic import licenses for toys and shoes. Shoe import licenses are valid for only 120 days and, according to exporters, obtaining them involves especially burdensome procedures.

Customs Valuation:

Argentina currently applies reference values to several thousand products. In 2011, goods covered by approximately 50 tariff lines were added to that list of products. The benchmarks establish a minimum price for market entry and dutiable value.

Argentina has stated that the rule is designed to discourage under-invoicing and fraudulent under-payment of customs duties. Customs External Notes 87/2008 of October 2008 and 15/2009 of February 2009 establish administrative mechanisms that restrict the entry of products deemed sensitive, such as textiles, apparel, footwear, toys, electronic products, and leather goods. The tax collection agency (AFIP) charges import duties based on pre-established reference prices on these several thousand products. On October 14, 2011, AFIP issued Note 15/2011, which permits large importers to establish in-house customs services that are pre-approved by the Argentine government in order to establish their own reference prices.

Ports of Entry: