Timi Bomodi, DNPRO Customs.
Story by Dili Utomi.
The Nigeria Customs Service in a bid to enhance sanity in its operations and to shore up its revenue has clarified its position on the payment of duties on vehicles by the Ministeries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria. In a press release by the Nigeria Customs Service deputy national public relations officer Timi Bomodi, the Service detailed that the only person or entity constitutionally exempted from paying import duties on goods is the President of the nation and so the MDAs are law bound to pay their duties on imported vehicles.
The statement reads in full “The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service has been drawn to a trend noticed in the activities of certain Ministries, Departments and Agencies with regards to their import of vehicles and other equipments.
The NCS wishes to state that except where waivers and, or concessions were sought and granted, all outstanding duties and taxes relating to such imports are expected to be paid in full. This applies even in situations where these imports were executed by agents or proxies on their behalf.
We wish to reiterate that by law, only items imported by the President, Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is exempted from the payment of duty or taxes.
The NCS is therefore by this notice sensitising MDAs, and advising them on the need to adhere strictly with import guidelines in this regard. Contractors who import and supply such equipment or vehicles without payment of duties should also be aware that they will be considered liable as fraudulent importers in such circumstance. We urge them to avail themselves of our trade facilitation tools available on and offline. This is necessary to avoid embarrassments in future”, the statement concludes.
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