The Management of the Nigeria Customs Service has said it will not take it kindly with any importer of clearing agents found dead to be notorious in the evasion of duty payment on tokunbo vehicles.
According to a statement from the office of the Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Tariff and Trade, ACG Musa MBA, some of the clearing agents were discovered to have been shortchanging the Federal Government through the evasion of payment of duty on used imported vehicles.
According to the Customs, “A new trend of infraction has been discovered where the value approved on the assessment slip for the extended procedure code 846 is not completely utilized.
“The CAC should take immediate action to stop the infractions and also liase with the DC Revenue, DC Valuation and DC PCA and ensure recovery of lost revenue.
“Attached in Annex A is the list of some C numbers with such infractions. Other C numbers will be forwarded in due course as the profiling is a continous process. Ensure strict compliance, please” it reads
Recall that the service at PTML Command and Tin Can Island Command had introduced an electronic platform; www.846.nigeriatradehub.gov.ng
This platform is to be used to clear Tokunbo vehicles (old imported vehicles) which were not captured under the VIN valuation (Non-standard VIN) platform of the service.
There are vehicles which are not captured under the VIN valuation platform of Customs, these are often referred to as Non-standard VIN. Such vehicles are required to make use of a special code called 846.
Prior to introduction of the automated platform for 846 vehicles, clearing agents were mandated to write an application to the Customs Area Controllers of the command where the car is being cleared in order to get actual value to pay.
Stakeholders believed that the Non-standard VIN or 846 gives room for human interface and corruption, a development which the VIN Valuation Platform was created to solve in the first place.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Tin Can Chapter of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Barr Michael Ovien has advised members affected by such shortfall in value payments to brace up to face the wrath of the law.
In a circulated message on Monday, he said “If you know you have settled customs to reduce duty for your consignment, be ready to pay the remaining value because customs are ready to recover all the losses.
“Any compromised 846 duty will be recovered. Start informing your importers”