Customs director Miguel Cocco Guerrero says that his department will give industries a 50% discount on the base declared value of machinery on which taxes are applied. He told Listin Diario that the discount is offered as part of a plan to help local industries renew their equipment and technology. He said that now that the country is on the verge of being practically an open market it is essential that industries better equip themselves to compete. To request the discount, he said businesses should address a letter to his department with the customs clearance documentation and the copy of the purchase bill of the equipment. The discount, he clarified, does not apply to the 10% surcharge nor to the 2% temporary surcharge on imports that is in effect until December 2004.