KOREDE FOGO
To meet its N3.019trillion revenue target for the year 2022, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has been accused of arbitrarily increasing duty payable on cargoes imported into the country.
This according to stakeholders will fuel inflation and rises in the price of imported goods in the country.
Speaking during the associatio’s National Executive Council’s (NEC’s), meeting, the acting president, Association of Nigeria Liscenced Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr Kayode Farinto, alleged that customs increased customs Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), without minding various conventions.
According to Farinto, customs introduced benchmark, which he said, has led to clearance of 20ft container for N2million and 40ft container for N2million without minding the content of the containers.
He further stated that the trading community is currently confused because Customs’ duty payment is getting bad every day under the current administration.
He said, “The unnecessary jack up of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), by the Nigeria Customs Service has become an issue because it has become habitual character for the service to arbitrarily jack up the PAAR, not minding the various conventions Viz-a Viz the Valuation Act 20 of 2003, which gives six principles that must be followed and sequentially on the issue of value, the 2020 NCO legal framework.”
“It has been observed that, the Nigeria Customs Service has introduced benchmark for commodities. This is because, for every (1by20ft container PAAR issue, the value of duty payable cannot be less than N2m, while 1by40ft is pegged at N4m irrespective of whatever the content were.”
Farinto, however, stated that the arbitrary increment was as a result of the N3.019trn target that was handed down to 5he customs service by the federal government.
“I feel saddened to inform the NEC that this is as a result of revenues targets given to the service by Federal Government of Nigeria, hence we have jettison professionalism, decency and rule of engagement to meeting up this targets at all cost.
“The entire trading community, is confused because we have never had it so bad before. The entire trading community and Freight Forwarders psychic has been militarized and we may need professional psychologists to become normal again.”