According to the statistics compiled by the customs office, the revenue collected during the period 20 percent more than what the office had mobilized in 2011/12. The office had collected Rs 3.68 billion in the last fiscal year. [break]
Officials at the customs office said they surpassed the target set by the government as the office had made internal management more effective. “We have been able to improve efficiency of the customs office over the last couple of years," Mimans Adhikari, chief of Tatopani Customs Office, told Republica.
However, revenue collected from export is minimal compared to total volume of revenue generated during the fiscal year. According to Adhikari, the customs office collected just Rs 3.1 million as revenue from the export trade. "But the amount double of what we collected in fiscal year 2011/12," he added.
According to Adhikari, the major item imported from China in 2012/13 was readymade garments. Other goods imported from the northern neighbor include rubber, apple, and electronic goods, among others.
Though the customs office easily surpassed its revenue target, Nepal´s trade deficit with China is increasing at an alarming rate. According to data of Trade and Export Promotion Center, Nepal´s trade deficit with China stands at Rs 16 billion.
China has been providing zero tariff facility to more than 9,000 goods and services from different least developed countries like Nepal.
"We have not been able to take advantage of the facility as most of the goods and services, in which we have competitive advantage, do not fall in the list of products eligible for zero tariff facility,” Buddha Raj Basnet, first vice president of Sindhupalchwok Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), said.
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