The number of customs agencies remains a modest 88 with many not working effectively even five years after regulations were introduced allowing their operation, report customs officers.
Many importers continue to complete customs procedures on their own behalf instead of having them cleared by customs agencies as authorized, according to a recent survey of the General Department of Customs (GDC).
Customs log-jam is revealed in professional qualifications of customs officers and their limited knowledge of importers’ or exporters’ business, some entrepreneurs said.
The GDC has recently proposed to the Ministry of Finance that customs agencies be given greater advantages than regular customers, with agencies to receive priority handling from customs officers at all stages of the process from filling in forms to inspection, according to an official of the Customs Supervision and Control Department.