Oluyinka Onigbinde
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has described clearing agents protesting against the introduction of Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Valuation policy as those who only care about personal benefits do not care about the wellbeing of the country or the industry.
Clearing agents had on Monday in a protest, kicked against the vehicle valuation policy by shutting down the two terminals that handle vehicular imports, following the expiration of the 72 hours strike notice issued by all registered freight forwarding associations operating at the Tin Can and PTML terminal
The agents had alleged that the value being issued on imported vehicles have skyrocketed by almost 300 percent, making it difficult for agents to clear their vehicles from the port as thousands of vehicles are currently trapped at the terminals.
However, reacting to the clearing agents protest, the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Mr. Timi Bomodi in a statement issued on Monday said the newly-introduced VIN valuation method is in response to demands by some port users who had earlier demanded simplification, harmony and transparency in valuation of vehicles for purpose of duty payment.
Bomodi argued that most of the individuals protesting the introduction of VIN-Valuation do not care about the well-being of the country or the industry they claim to represent.
He said all they care about are the personal benefits accruable from milking the system.
He said those advocating against the introduction of the VIN want to pay as little import duty as possible and keep the chunk of the monies for themselves adding that these persons advocate chaos rather than order. They thrive in wheeling, dealing environments where the price of everything is negotiable.
Bomodi urged clearing agents to always make sincere declarations as a way to achieve speedy clearance of their cargoes from customs control.
The NCS spokesperson urged Nigerians to embrace the VIN method which relies on artificial intelligence devoid of human contact.
According to him: “In recent times the consensus among clearing agents on the valuation of used vehicles appear to favour a harmonized value system that is consistent across all Customs platforms in Nigeria. They insisted that the same make, and model of cars should be made to pay the same amount of duty. These agents also demanded the discontinuation of the discounted value method which allowed for the subjective considerations of officers in the Customs Valuation Unit who rely mainly on the book value of vehicles discounted at a fixed rate over time.
“In 2022, their prayers have been answered. NCS introduced VIN- Valuation as a fully automated tool devoid of human interference, capable of aggregating values from countries of export, consistent in make and model of cars for the purpose of assessing duty. This system uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to pull together trade data representing a range of values consistent for each car make and model using the Vehicle Identity Number (VIN). It is totally devoid of human inputs by NCS officers, and enables easy and fast assessments necessary to process duty payments. Indeed time motion studies confirm a maximum of 6 hours between automated assessments and release of cars using VIN-Valuation.
“Before the introduction of this tool, town hall meetings were held across the country stating its benefits, one of the greatest being trade facilitation. Following the demands of agents for a simplified system which recognises standard values, NCS was confident that this innovation in its clearing process will satisfy the desires of agents clamouring for change. The resistance to VIN-Valuation therefore comes as a surprise seeing that it was deliberately designed to meet their demands. It also compels us to investigate further the intentions of those protesting its use.
“When our Valuation officers gave out ex-factory prices for duty assessment they were accused of collecting monetary inducements to give lower values. It will be interesting to know what these same agents/importers will accuse the machines of. Maybe this time it will be machine discrimination, or discrimination based on non-digital considerations.
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“The truth is that most of the individuals protesting the introduction of VIN-Valuation do not care about automation, simplification, harmonisation or even transparency in the system. They do not care about the wellbeing of the country or the industry they claim to represent. All they care about are the personal benefits accruable from milking the system. They want to pay as little import duty as possible and keep the chunk of the monies for themselves. These persons advocate chaos rather than order. They thrive in wheeling, dealing environments where the price of everything is negotiable.
“NCS under the able leadership of Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) is poised to rewrite history by reinventing Customs operations in its entirety. The vision of this administration is to create environments conducive for facilitating trade that is consistent and predictable with little to non-human interference. VIN-Valuation is only one in a series of innovations designed for this purpose. The earlier agents and importers come to terms with this reality the better it will be for everyone.
“NCS therefore urges well-meaning Nigerians to embrace the electronic services that are being put at their disposal. Importers who have valid Tax Identity Numbers (TIN) can do self-assessment and pay duty by themselves. We implore licensed Customs agents to also be honest in their declarations as it will go a long way in expediting the release of their goods out of Customs control”, he said.
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