The New Nation - Internet Edition

THERE are areas where timely reforms, including specially full automation, can lead to very substantial increases in revenue collection of the government. One such area is the customs administration which is by far the single biggest revenue earner. But its outmoded prevailing mode of conducting customs procedures, manually, makes a huge difference in revenue collection from the various manipulations and corruptions which have become an integral part of this system.

Some quarters have vested interests in retaining the present system to evade full payment of customs duty. The government employees in the customs department themselves also form part of these interest groups in many cases. They visualise automation as threatening their dominance of the system and in getting bribes. But generally, businesses have no objection to such automation because they know the same will actually help them with hassle-free operations and spare them from making underhand payments to get their goods cleared quickly.

Automation of customs procedures would have multiple prospects. It would lead to a big rise in the collection of revenue for the government. The costs of doing business would fall significantly from the efficiency in handling cargoes at ports. For example, the present annual earnings of the Customs Houses would go up significantly. Automation is likely to decrease the prevailing complex and bureaucratic customs procedures dramatically. There are now some 45 complex manual procedures to be followed that create inordinate delays in the clearance of goods. The same also hazard the proper valuation of the goods for customs purposes. The same will come down to 25 such procedures with the introduction of automation and lend both speed to the entire process and much accuracy and fairness in evaluation of duties.