BEIRUT - Customs revenues reached $1.53bn in the first 10 months of 2009, up 83% from $837m in the same period last year, Byblos Bank's Lebanon This Week stated. Custom revenues reached $165.8m in October 2009 compared to $156.5m in September and to $104.8m in October 2008. 

The Port of Beirut continues to be the main point of customs receipts, accounting for 89% of the total in October 2009, and was followed by the Hariri International Airport with 5.8%, the Port of Tripoli with 2.5%, and the Masnaa crossing point with 1.8%. Overall customs receipts reached $2.68bn year-to-October when including revenues from the value-added tax that totaled $1.15bn over the covered period.