KATHMANDU, Jan 13: Private sector has called for ensuring hassle-free customs clearance.
Taking part in discussions on 'bill designed to amend and integrate customs-related laws' at the Finance Committee of the House of Representatives on Sunday, the private sector representatives called for removing procedural hassles during the customs clearance procedures and limiting discretionary powers of customs employees.
They stressed the need to build sufficient infrastructure for quarantine and quality test of goods and to reduce the deposit amount.
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President of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) Rajesh Kumar Agrawal commented that the Bill failed to incorporate IT and power trade issues. "It is silent about software exports and has not made it clear whether power trade comes under the jurisdiction of customs."
The CNI has proposed to establish a separate judicial body for an administrative review if any dispute is surfaced during the customs inspections.
Vice President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce, Deepak Shrestha, said the target for revenue collections for customs and tax offices has affected the business community.
Demanding the scrapping of the reference price book being used during the customs surveillance, he advised authorities concerned to systematise the classifications of goods according to the harmonized code.
The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries demanded the reduction of the deposit amount for suspicion during the customs inspections from the existing 50 percent to 25 percent. It has suggested revising the existing provision of charging 100 percent fines for under or overbilling, reducing it to 50 percent.
The Bill has been proposed to amend the Customs Act in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol which Nepal is a party to and to make customs clearance procedures further advanced and technology-friendly.
