Tehran, July 14, IRNA -- Several political groups in Iran are
involved in extensive smuggling of goods and illegal businesses, the
Persian daily Jam-e Jam cited an economist as saying on Saturday.
Mohammad Taqi Gilak said that some of the "well-known political,
conomic and religious groups of the country", in an effort to help
their affiliated parties, were carrying out illegal trade activities,
the paper said.
He said the "mafia groups" were exempted from tax premiums and
given many other franchises in the name of law, it added.
High profits from the illegal trade were even encouraging the
smugglers, he said, adding that it had caused the Iranian market to
be flooded with contraband.
"Improper policies" in the field of imports and exports were the
key to the phenomenon, he said, adding that had caused Iranian traders
to lose faith in the prospects of their businesses as well as business
security.
The issue of smuggling of goods by influential families and groups
have recently come to the spotlight in Iranian media and the buzzword
"aqazadeh" or the offsprings of the merited have become a common term
in Iranian political lexicon.
With some 700,000 young people entering the labor market each
year and unemployment at least 15 percent already, Iran urgently
needs productive investment to create jobs.
... Payvand News - 7/14/01 ... --
