Perhaps it is one of the strategies to decongest the ports. Whatever the intention is, the news that dealers can now clear their vehicles from the ports and pay the duty later, has been recieved with joy.
By the new policy, approved by the federal government for the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, people can now clear their vehicles from the ports and take them away for 28 days before paying the import duty on them. This will be supported by the establishment of inland bonded vehicle terminals across the country for which the NCS has already issued some licences. With the inland bonded terminals, dealers will no longer have to go to Lagos to clear their vehicles.
Joseph Attah, acting Public Relations Officer, NCS, said, “When a dealer imports his vehicles and he manifests them for destinations in the inland areas, the dealer will only provide some logistics and the Customs will escort them down to the terminal without paying the Customs duty yet.”
Attah explained that the aim of the policy is to ensure ease of doing automobile business and increase commercial activities and boosting the economy.
Attah also said that there would be many positive multiplier effects of bonded terminals like the establishment of spare part shops, and that full Customs functions of examination, assessment for value and prevention of smuggling of products through any form of concealment in vehicles would not be compromised under the new regime.
“Operators will be allowed to take delivery of their vehicles to their terminals under Customs escort and pay duty as the cars are bought within a 28-day grace period. Customs will only approach the dealers for duty payment at the expiration of the 28-day period as the operators now make sale from imported cars before duty payment at their bonded terminals,” Attah said.