Customs board makes things easy

EXIM MATTERS

The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has issued a number of circulars with a view to make life easier for importers and exporters.

Importers and exporters can now file bills of entry and shipping bills from their own offices using Icegate (Indian Customs and Excise Gateway for Electronic Date Interchange) at 23 Customs locations.

The CBEC is now a certifying authority for digital signatures that can be obtained easily. Customs House Agents (CHA) can start registration for filing documents for IGM (Import General Manifest) at all sea locations.

All the ICEGATE services are now operational. Latest message implementation guidelines for exporters have been uploaded. Daily list of transactions is available at Icegate.

An online helpdesk has been launched. On-line document tracking is possible at 18 locations. Now all uploaded files can be viewed on-line.

Exporters, importers and CHAs who file more than five documents per day on an average at each port have to now file the documents only through Icegate and not through service centres.

For export houses, the good news is that the CBEC has now clarified that in respect of imports under advance license, export promotion capital goods scheme etc., the bond regarding export obligation to be fulfiled need not be backed by a surety.

For exporters claiming duty drawback at All-Industry Rates, the CBEC has re-iterated its earlier instructions that drawback should be granted as per the notified rates without asking any questions about how the rate has been determined in the case of individual export goods and without any probe as to whether certain exempted inputs have been used in the manufacture of the same.

The CBEC has also clarified that the education cess has to be factored in while determining the brand rates of duty drawback. Airlines seek permission twice from Customs""once for palletisation and other at the time of actual loading, after the issuance of Let Export Order (LEO) and before goods are actually loaded in the Aircraft.

The CBEC has now clarified that when the palletisation is done after LEO, there is no need for a separate permission for palletisation from Customs.

However, the permission for loading in the aircraft should continue to be obtained. Importers enjoying Green Channel facility can now clear the containers directly from the ports without transshipping the same to the Customs area, thereby reducing the dwell time considerably for such cargo resulting in efficient functioning.

All Export Oriented Units (EOU) can now use self-sealing procedure for exports. They need not renew factory stuffing permission any more. Also, their import consignments need not be examined at ports.

They can export samples with prior intimation. For EOU, who have export house status, the jurisdictional commissioner may prescribe norms for examination of the imported goods at the bonded premises, based on risk assessment.

They can remove capital goods for repairs from bonded premises, install two computers and one fax machines at their office outside the bonded premises, clear goods in domestic tariff area upto their entitlement and take abroad as personal baggage gem and jewellery samples with prior intimation only.

Exporters and importers will appreciate the CBEC for its customer-friendly approach, whereas the CHAs, who prefer to interface with the Customs staff and mint money in the process, may not.

tncr@sify.com