By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Nigerian government is already taking steps to harmonise the collection of customs duty in the country’s free trade zones.
Last week, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) held a meeting with critical stakeholders in the sector in Lagos to discuss ways to remodel the levies on goods processed and manufactured for customs territory.
The Deputy Comptroller General of Customs in charge of Excise, Free Trade Zone and Industrial Incentives, Ms Kathleen Ekekezie, explained that the sensitisation programme, which took place in the conference room of the Apapa Command, will also take place at the Customs Training College, Ikeja Lagos at a later date.
She said the Comptroller General of Customs, Mr Hameed Ali, was determined to “automate all customs procedures in the ongoing modernisation project.”
“We started this journey in 1998 and have gone far; what we are doing for the excise and free trade zone department now is part of it,” she added.
Ms Ekekezie further said, “The norm has been operators in the free trade zones, pay customs duty on all the raw materials imported, a flat rate of duty paid, we said, no it is wrong because eventually, when the goods are produced, from the raw materials, not all the goods are destined for customs territory.
“Some will be exported out of Nigeria; as you know, all these are free according to government rules. That was why we initiated this move to harmonise customs duty collection.”
According to DCG Ekekezie, one of the incentives given to investors in the FTZ is that customs duty will not be paid on the finished goods but on the raw materials imported into the FTZ.
Shedding more light on the review process, the DCG noted that every process must undergo review, adding that, “My thought and yours are not the same so that we will bring our thought to the table and we will harmonise it and review.
“Through the feedback, we will come to a near-perfect process; nothing is perfect.”
Adedapo Adesanya