Clearing agents are gradually resisting charges introduced by the National Environment Standard and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) on vehicles imported into the country.
The agents are calling on the Federal Government to scrap to levy collected by the agency saying that it is an additional cost to doing business in Nigerian ports.
A member of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr Frank Aliakor, called for the scrapping of that collection in a chat with Auto Port Weekly in Lagos last week, even as he said that the NESREA certificate does not add any value to business transaction from the ports.
He said that NESREA is collecting a levy from clearing agents on all imported used vehicles and other containerised items.
Aliakor said that the process is creating some bottleneck in vehicle clearance, saying that a letter must go to Abuja headquarters of NESREA before an agent can take delivery of the imported vehicle.
"The essence of bringing in used cars is like a palliative measure put in place since 1988, it is not everybody that can afford a new car considering the fact such cars are imported to help the middle class because the gap between the rich and the poor is too wide".
When asked for how long the collection has been in existence, the agent said that it has been on -going for the past three years.
He said, "we are resisting the payment of that NESREA charges because it is militating against trade facilitation"
"When it was introduced some years back, collection of the levy was not as serious as what it is today".
Although, Aliakor refused to mention the specific amount being charged by NESREA, but he concluded by saying that "the charges vary due to the age of the vehicle " .
Also speaking Chairman, Tin Can Island Chapter, Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), Mr. Jude Ige said that the charges are not for RORO vehicles, but all containerised cargoes.
He argued that "NESREA don't have anything to do with imported vehicles, except on used cargoes inside container."
The AREFFN chieftain disclosed the charge on their certificate is #150,000.
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