Automobile dealers under the auspices of the, Berger Automobile Dealers Association have appealed to the Federal Government to reduce the duty on imported vehicles.
The appeal comes on the heel of the invasion of the popular market late last week by armed operatives of the Customs Federal Operation Unit (FOU) Zone ‘Á’ of service in Ikeja.
Lamenting what he called excess duty being collected on imported fairly-used vehicles in an exclusive chat with our correspondent, President of the association; Mr Metche Nnadiekwe said that the high customs duty on vehicles is one of the reasons some people embrace smuggling of vehicles into the country.
Even though he confirmed the operations of the Customs FOU personnel at the market, he denied that any vehicle was impounded for non-payment of Customs duty or for any infraction.
Rather, he said that one of the reasons for the visit of the Customs officers was to sensitize and advice dealers on the need to pay correct duty on imported vehicles.
“No vehicle was taken out of this place, either was any park closed down during the visit of the Customs. We had our normal business they came on a friendly basis they did not harass or touch anyone, they came and advised us. It was on friendly basis, something that will help us was what they came to tell us”, he insisted.
He however noted that, “the government should know that there is hard time now in this country and because there is hard time, the duty on vehicles in this country is so high that people are forced to smuggle cars. In other to discourage people from smuggling, you have to do something about that duty”, he pleaded.
Mr Nnadiekwe also stated that he was not in a position to guarantee that every importer or dealer at the vast market is honest.
He added that the association under his watch has started sanitising the market to ensure that smuggled vehicles are not brought in.
Explaining further, he said: “If you say there wouldn’t be one or two bad eggs out of the millions of people doing business here in Berger, I would not guarantee it. So the visit of Custom officers to Berger here was to come and ensure that people are complying with the directive of the service”
“One of the reasons for their visit was to sensitize and advise us on the need to pay complete duties on imported vehicles, because this government belongs to all of us. If we are going the other way round, it will not help the government to achieve the promises they made during their campaign”.
Speaking on the level of compliance by the auto dealers, he said: “Now we have started complying, the leadership of this association under my watch has asked the people to ensure that they pay proper duty on vehicles. Any person that has short-paid should please go and ratify it. Henceforth we are not going to tolerate indiscipline or non-payment of duty from anybody in this park, anybody that fails to pay completely will have himself to blame”.
Threatening any dealer who fails to heed his warning, he said, “we are the people that will now invite law enforcement agencies to come and carry the person and his vehicle out of this place because we have to clean up this place. We have been having series of meetings where we are raising up our task force that will be going round from park to park to ensure compliance.”
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