NBR to frame rules for quick release

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The National Board of Revenue will probably frame rules to facilitate a faster release and disposal of perishable goods from ports.

Customs wing of the revenue board has already prepared a draft of the rules tilted ‘Perishable Goods Speedy Disposal Rules-2020’ with a provision of releasing goods within a day of submission of bill of entry of imported goods.

Customs may also be in a position to sell or transfer of seized and unreleased perishable goods that cannot be disposed of through auction due to various reasons to the state-owned agencies such as Trading Corporation of Bangladesh at minimum prices, the draft rules stated.

The NBR in addition has identified a complete of 53 products, including fish, fruit, live animals, seeds, medicine, recycleables for medicine, pulse, sugar, frozen fish and meat, chocolate, biscuit, tea, onion, garlic and other spices, raw hide, foods with six-month validity, cosmetics with one-year validity and other goods with risks of faster quality fall.

Officials said that the NBR had sought opinions from its field-level customs offices, including customs houses, on the draft rules.

The guidelines will be finalised accommodating the opinions to be received from field offices and made effective through issuing a statutory regulatory order, they said.

They said that the NBR would frame the rules according to condition of the Trade Facilitation Agreement of the World Trade Organisation to facilitate ease of doing business.

According to WTO-TFA, customs authorities should ensure fast-track clearance of perishable goods.

Based on the draft rules, customs officials at the customs houses will complete all procedures, including customs assessment and examination to release the import and export goods within 24 hours of submission of bill of entry if taxes and duties are cleared.

There will also be a particular desk or band of officials at customs houses to handle the perishable goods.

Importers and exporters can submit bill of entry 24-hour a day using the customs’ computer system.

Goods seized for violation of import and export policies, orders and for other reasons such as for example import of prohibited or restricted goods and unreleased goods will be cleared through auction.

Customs authorities should be able to sell the seized and unreleased goods such as for example sugar and salt to the government agencies like TCB after determining minimum prices for the products without arranging auction.

A senior customs official told MODERN on Sunday that customs houses and customs commissionerates usually ensured faster clearance of perishable goods by their own guidelines.

For example, at Benapole customs house, clearance of perishable goods takes only a long time, he said.

But there is no legal mandatory provision in the customs law for fast-track clearance of perishable goods together with no comprehensive list of such goods, he said.

So, the NBR has made a decision to frame the rules to provide a legal base of faster clearance of perishable goods and also to comply with the WTO-TFA as Bangladesh is a signatory to the agreement, he added.
Source: https://www.newagebd.net

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