AJOKE PHILIP
A former member of CRFFN’s Freight Forwarders Consultative Forum, Chidi Opara has tackled the President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Tony Iju Nwabunike over recent call for three percent Annual import duty compensation from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
BUSINESSinsiderng report that ANLCA President had admonished the federal government to approve a compensation plan of 3% of Customs duties generated via the practitioners annually.
His words: “As a leader of the foremost body of customs brokers in the country with thousands of licences, we have always advocated that government should set aside at least 3 percent compensation to licensed agents based on revenue collected from transactions through their licenses.”
But, in a chat with BUSINESSinsiderng yesterday, Opara, who said he’s a former ANLCA national officer, said the Demand from the ANLCA’s President is impracticable and will never happen.
Opara said there are lots of other adverse government policies militating against clearing agents than making an unrealistic demand.
He said, “The President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA) was quoted by a news media publication as demanding an annual 3% compensation for its members from the import duties collections.
“This is an impracticable demand, it will never happen. Government will never collect tax(import duties) and give a non governmental organization(by whatever nomenclature)a percentage, however small.
“The principals (importers and exporters) are supposed to have paid for the services rendered. A firm is a “Customs agent” only to the extent that it is permitted by Customs to prepare and process documents for the payment of Customs duties, etc.”
He, however, called on leaders of associations in the freight forwarding sector to move into the area of positively influencing policies of government.
“These “accredited associations” Presidents, Founders, etc, if they want to help their members should immediately move into the area of positively influencing policies at the Executive Council Of The Federation level(where the policies are formulated).
“There are lots of adverse policies militating against the professional and economic survival of their members.
Constantly coming onto news media publications to make impracticable demands is hardly the way to go in the circumstances and situations the subsector practitioners found themselves,” he said.