For Guatemalan importers this is a very important factor to take into account when considering the possibility of purchasing used trucks in the U.S. or any other country for that matter. As mentioned in this report, many local importers use the available space in the trucks to bring other merchandise into Guatemala. There are no impediments to importing trucks, trailers and buses to Guatemala. U.S. exporters looking at Guatemala will find a relatively open market. Imports are generally not subject to non-tariff trade barriers, though there are occasional cases of arbitrary customs valuation and bureaucratic obstacles that can cause delays.
All imports are subject to customs duties.
In January 1997, the Central American Tariff Reduction Agreement came into effect. This agreement reduced tariffs for shipments within Central America to 0 percent on almost all items beginning on January 1, 1998. There is a value-added tax of ten percent which must be paid on the sum of ad valorem duty and the C.I.F. value of the import. This 10 percent tax can be credited against the local firm's income tax liabilities. Guatemala uses both the metric and English systems of weights and measures.