The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance has announced that 8 sugar importers should pay 13.575 billion rials in taxes due to their wrongdoing between 1997 and 2000.

The ministry's Public Relations Office stated that in light of their violation of Article 156 on direct taxes, these sugar importers are under investigation.

*Norouz Officials Have No Right to Enter Economic Activities The dean of the Law Faculty of Allameh Tabatabyee University said considering the country's peculiar economic system it is important to ban the politicians from being involved in economic activities. Otherwise, he said, it would lead to political corruption.

Commenting on a plan by the Judiciary to prevent the politicians and their children from entering some economic activities, Hussein Salimi said in a country where the government controls the economy the introduction of such a rule is very important.

*ENTEKHAB $3.5bn Worth of Goods Smuggled Into the Country

An MP from the majority faction said that during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (started March 21 2001) some $3.5 billion of smuggled goods have been imported into the country through what he called "unseen jetties".

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the MP said the value of the goods has been estimated by security and law enforcement sources and has been submitted to the Majlis' National Security and Foreign Policy Commission and a number of other deputies.

*AFTAB Minister Stresses Human Resources

The Minister of Science, Research, and Technology, Mostafa Mo'in, said the workforce creates the largest amount of capital in any country. For instance, he said, in a developed country like Japan the workforce creates about 80% of the capital, while it is only about 34% in Iran.