…Calls for creation of Institute of Customs Brokers
By Steve Agbota, Lagos
The presidential candidate of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr Kayode Farinto, lamented that foreigners have taking over project cargo meant for indigenous freight forwarders in the country.
Farinto disclosed this during his team campaign to ANLCA Apapa Port Chapter on in Lagos. He promised the association’s members that he make sure that the anormalies come to an end if he’s elected as the next president of the association.
“Contrary to what is obtainable in other climes, foreigners come to Nigeria and the take over the clearing jobs meant for Nigerians. Those foreign companies like CCECC enters our ports to do clearing jobs, that is why today no singular Nigeria is doing any project cargo job, the foreigner have taken them over. They produce the good, import it, clear and warehouse it. That practice cannot continue under my watch,” he said.
He said if one clearing agents in ANLCA is given a project cargo to clear, everybody in the association will be okay, saying the issue of foreigner handling jobs that belong to Nigerians must stopped under his regime of elected as the ANLCA president.
However, he said there is need for the establishment of a Customs brokerage institution to promote professionalism in freight forwarding practice in the nation’s maritime Industry.
He assured that many wrongs done to the Customs brokers in the past will be corrected under his watch if elected into office to lead.
He added that that his administration will ensure that the Customs Broker Institute Bill is passed by the National Assembly, Customs brokerage is a distinct profession that should be an integral part of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
He said that every year, the Nigeria Customs Service declare huge revenues of which government is giving them percentage while the revenue is actually generated by the Customs broker while the Customs midwifes the collection of the revenue.
He said his administration will collaborate with the government and demand that freight forwarders are given 1 per cent in return to further encourage revenue collection of Customs.
He said if the the institution who midwifes the collection of the revenue is given a percentage, the one who generates it also deserves to be given a percentage.
“Under his watch, making that a reality will be pushed to the National Assembly with fact and data of over seven years of revenue, to show that if the Customs broker is given a percentage of the revenue he generated in 2022, he will generate more in 2023.
“No Customs Broker will allow any importer to cheat the government if he paid a percentage of what he collects at the end of the year. And government will continue to collect huge revenue if they encourage Customs agents but stress the need for practitioners to have sanity.
“First on the agenda is that since the Exchange Rate is now going to be determined by the market forces, government will have to remove the 15 per cent Import Adjustment Levy of imported vehicles to cushion the effects of the spiraling exchange rate on importers and their agents.
“The second point is ending the wrong calculation of Value Added Tax (VAT). The VAT being a Consumption Tax means that if you are importing a container load of phone, the VAT will charged on the Free on Board (FoB) value. But this is not how they are calculating it; somebody needs to tell them that they are over-charging us,” he added.