Proclamation No. 1229/2020: Excise Tax (Amendment) was enacted to address a critical need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Purpose of the Amendment: The primary objective was to extend the grace period during which individuals or entities involved in the manufacture of excisable goods or the provision of services could continue operations without possessing the legally required license. This extension was deemed necessary due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
- Specific Change Introduced: Article 43(1) of the original Excise Tax Proclamation No. 1186/2020 was entirely repealed and replaced with a new Article 43(1).
- New Provision (Article 43(1)): The revised article stipulates that, notwithstanding existing licensing provisions in Chapter 3 Part 1 of the Proclamation, persons engaged in manufacturing excisable goods or providing services are permitted to continue their activities without a license or registration until March 9th, 2021.
- Effective Date: This “Excise Tax (Amendment) Proclamation No. 1229/2020” came into force on November 12th, 2020, following its ratification by the House of People’s Representatives.