Tanzania and DR Congo begun on Monday
pilot clearance of goods under Single Customs Territory clearance
procedures, Tanzania Revenue Authority has announced.
TRA’s Commissioner for Customs and
Excise, Tiagi Kabisi said in a statement that goods to be involved in
the pilot project would be wheat flour, vegetable cooking oil, motor
vehicles, petroleum products and maize flour.
The goods would enter the DR Congo
through Kasumbalesa border, he said adding that all declarations
submitted from Monday would follow the single customs clearance
procedures.
“TRA hereby informs all parties involved
in clearance of goods between the two countries, starting from 6th of
July, 2015 there will be a pilot clearance of goods under single customs
territory like clearance procedures (SCT),” he said in the statement.
The beginning of the pilot project of
the single customs territory between Tanzania and DR Congo followed a
decision of the governments of the two countries to establish single
customs cooperation between the two administrations.
Under the SCT arrangement the two
countries have adopted a destination model of clearance of goods where
assessment and collection of revenue is to be done at the first point of
entry.
The revenue authority body announced
Tanzania would go for full fledged Single Customs Territory (SCT) in the
current financial year after successful and efficient piloting of the
system since July 2014.
The system seeks to facilitate increased
trade in the region, reduce cost of doing business as well as eliminate
dumping of goods in countries of transit to protect industries and
jobs.
“All the challenges that emerged during
the SCT piloting period will by April this year be sorted out for full
implementation in the 2015/16 financial year,” TRA’s Deputy Commissioner
- Trade Facilitation and Procedures, Mr Patrick Mugoya, said in an
interview conducted in March this year.
The challenges for which were being
worked out by experts from the East African member states include the
complexity of systems interfacing as well as the use of customs bonded
warehouse.
Others were the slow pace of the cross
border government agencies and regulators to adopt SCT systems and fear
job loss by the freight and forwarders.
Under the system, the process and
documentation are done in the country of destination before the
consignments are cleared and released at the port of entry.
Some of the goods that were assessed
during the piloting period include rice, maize, sugar, neutral spirits,
cigarettes, petroleum products, wheat, salt, edible oil and
pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.
Source: Daily News, reported from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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