Apparently determined to meet its N7billion monthly revenue target, the Ports and Terminal Multipurpose Limited (PTML) command of the Nigeria Custom Service has reviewed the duty collectable on vehicles imported into the country through the terminal.
Sources confirmed to Shipping Position Daily exclusively yesterday in Lagos that the valuation unit of the command came out with the new tariff on Monday and that the duty payable on cars has shot up by 10%.
Apparently determined to meet its N7billion monthly revenue target, the Ports and Terminal Multipurpose Limited (PTML) command of the Nigeria Custom Service has reviewed the duty collectable on vehicles imported into the country through the terminal.
Sources confirmed to Shipping Position Daily exclusively yesterday in Lagos that the valuation unit of the command came out with the new tariff on Monday and that the duty payable on cars has shot up by 10%.
Managing Director of Mikkol Maritime Services Limited, Alhaji Abdulakeem Akanji who hinted our correspondent of the development said that a car that his company used to clear at N120,000 will now be cleared with N140,000.
Akanji said that the effect of this is going to tell on the importer and the end user of the vehicles.
"A car of 1997 or 1998 that we were paying N100, 000, they will now increase it to N120, 000, Tin Can RoRo port has done this before and PTML has just decided to follow suit", he stressed.
He said that PTML had been the cheapest and most friendly port for the clearing of imported vehicles, but that with the new increase in duty, it is almost on the same level with the Tin Can port.
According to him, "if you collect a vehicle of 1999 model at PTML for N220,000, you will be collecting it at the rate of N250,000 at the Tin Can port, but now that the duty at PTML has been increased, it will be collected at the rate of N240,000"
He also said that Nigerian ports is at the threshold of favouring the economy of other neighboring countries at the expense of its own, he said that the development might cause agents to advice their importers to make use of other neigbouring ports and bring in the vehicles through the borders at no cost.
Also speaking with our correspondent on the development, the vice chairman Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Aare Sanni Shittu explained that he has heard of the development, but that he is yet to confirm it.
However, when contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the PTML Customs command, Mr Chinedu Ogbonna denied knowledge of any increase, saying that it is all speculation.
Ogbonna confirmed to our correspondent that the Area Controller of the PTML command had held a meeting yesterday morning with the chapter executives of the three major freight forwarding associations and that the issue of increase in duty was not mentioned at the meeting.
According to him, the command yesterday held its usual stakeholders meeting with the clearing agents where issues bordering their minds re usually made known to the command, but that the issue of duty increase did not come up at the meeting.
But confirming the reasons for not disclosing the issue at the CAC's meeting, the officer in charge of Ethics, Complains and Discipline under the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Mr. George Okafor told Shipping Position Daily correspondent that freight forwarders have other pressing matters on their minds to discuss and that this is why the issue did not come up.
Okafor confirmed that there has been an increase in duty, but that it is very reasonable and very little and that freight forwarders did not mention it because they have high trust in the valuation officer of the command.
"We are still talking with the customs and this morning, we held a meeting with the CAC, but the increase is not arbitrary, we know that PTML has been very calm and peaceful both in transaction and trade facilitation, it is only here that you can clear your vehicle under 24 hours", he said.
But he however confirmed that there has been a N10, 000 increase in duty at the command but that the executives of the associations did not discuss the issue with the CAC because they know that the valuation officer is capable of handling the situation.
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