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 Daily
Independent Online.
* Wednesday, June 30, 2004.
Customs
worries over effects of concessioning on revenue drive
Stories by Muyiwa Dare
Maritime Reporter, Lagos
The Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in-charge
of revenue, Mr. Samuel Ogundeji, has said that the frequent concessions
granted by the Federal Government to importers will affect the revenue
generation of the service, thereby making it difficult for it to meet its
target for the year.
Ogundeji stated this in Abuja while receiving members of the non-oil and royalties
committee of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission
(RMAFC) in his office. He lamented that the concessions granted importers
to import at low rates would have adverse effects on revenue generation
because a long list of products, which form major revenue earnings like
textiles, had been banned in order to pep up the nation’s economy.
While noting that Nigeria is a signatory to some international
treaties on the promotion of free trade, he disclosed that the
restriction on importation had generated complaints from different
quarters.
He said that apart from the concessions to some African
countries, importations of products by charity organisations were also
duty-free.
Earlier, the chairman of the committee, Alhaji Ahmed Ilyasu, had
said that it would constantly monitor customs’ activities in order “to
acquire, analyse and vouch for data from all ports and locations where
dutiable goods were taxed and collected.”
He also stated that the committee has the mandate to determine
and advice on the efficiency of equipment and collection machinery at the
disposal of the Nigeria Customs Service, saying that the committee will
tour all customs commands after the restructuring in order to keep an
up-to-date record on all industries and commercial companies.
“This tour is aimed at familiarising members with the
newly-introduced destination inspection regime and accounting of the
Nigeria Customs Service and other related detailed operational
procedures”, he said.
The Federal Government recently gave one-month concession to
importers with containers at the south east ports. It was gathered that the
concession, which expired on May 31, this year, was aimed at decongesting
the ports.
The committee members and top management of the customs later
held a meeting on a number of issues, such as funding of the service,
lack of infrastructure in offices, curbing smuggling activities and the
role of banks in transmitting revenue.
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