2ND LINK CHANGE: MORE details.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/48248990
Prominent dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez's recent revelation of a new 'mule tax' is confirmed.
Starting in August...and then in September...goods brought onto the isla by mulas will skyrocket to $4.50 usd per pound/$10 usd per kg.
The tax is intended to capture some of over $2 billion usd worth of goods informally imported from abroad...and used to supply new small businesses.
Previously...mulas paid only $.50 usd per kg in import duties...with fixed fees for appliances and other electronic goods.
The fee change was quietly posted on an official website on 02 July.
Cuba lacks a reliable wholesale supply system for private businesses.
Small businesses have long relied on mulas...paid travelers...to restock goods.