The private sector suggests hassle-free customs clearance to the government

A hassle-free customs clearance process has been demanded by the private sector.

The representatives of the private sector, who participated in discussions on a “bill designed to amend and integrate customs-related laws” at the House of Representatives’ Finance Committee on Sunday, demanded that the customs clearance procedures be made less complicated and that customs employees’ discretionary powers be limited.

They emphasized the necessity of lowering the deposit amount and constructing adequate facilities for goods quality testing and quarantine.

Rajesh Kumar Agrawal, president of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), said that the Bill does not address concerns related to electricity trade and IT. “It has not clarified whether power commerce is subject to customs jurisdiction and has been silent regarding software exports.”

In the event that a disagreement arises during the customs inspections, the CNI has suggested creating a distinct judicial body for an administrative review.

According to Deepak Shrestha, vice president of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce, the business community has been impacted by the revenue collection objective for customs and tax departments.

He urged the relevant authorities to organize the product classifications using the harmonized code and demanded that the reference price book used for customs surveillance be discontinued.

The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries called for a 25 percent reduction in the current 50 percent deposit sum for suspicion during customs inspections. It has proposed lowering the current clause that charges 100% fines for underbilling or overbilling to 50%.

The proposed bill aims to make customs clearance processes more sophisticated and technologically friendly while also amending the Customs Act to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, to which Nepal is a party.