Syria slashes food taxes to ease burden on poor families

Syria announced tax reductions on essential foodstuffs Thursday, cutting the levy on cooking oil by more than half and trimming duties on sugar and animal fats by 20 to 25 percent. Import taxes were halved, to one percent, with officials urging merchants to pass the savings on to consumers.

The moves aim to shield low-income households from surging global food costs. Separately, the government began distributing $250 million to 420,000 struggling families through its national aid fund. The UN estimates 14 percent of Syria's 22 million residents live in extreme poverty.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in February 2011, in its own words.