Customs FOUC Urges Auto Dealers To Take Advantage Of Duty Window
By Abimbola Abdullah
The Federal Operations Unit C (FOUC) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has urged car dealers in the South-East and South-South zones to take advantage ot the three months window to regularize duty payment of vehicles that were improperly imported into the country.
Controller, FOUC, Mike Ugbagu, during a meeting with the auto dealers, assured the that the duty would be reasonable and not high as being erroneously insinuated.
Ugbagu told the dealers who were represented from various states such as Enugu, Onitsha, Aba, Port Harcourt and Calabar, that the window being offered by NCS is a lifetime opportunity to prevent their vehicles from being seized.
He said importation of vehicles from land borders was banned but because of the vastness of the Nigeria land space that made it possible for it to have borders with about four African Countries of Cameroun, Chad, Niger and Benin republic, however, the vehicles are still being smuggled into the country.
Noting that those vehicles that have entered into the Country through illegal routes can be seized at any time, the comptroller implored the dealers to utilize this wonderful opportunity of three months window for payment of duty to regularize their customs papers.
“The duty is even coming without penalty because the vehicles have been used in Nigeria. The valuation unit will give duty reduction,” he assured.
The Chairman of the Car Dealers association from Aba, Prince Adulphus Duru while asking that Customs operation should be limited to borders and not along Nigeria major roads, express fear that the duty would high for them to afford, but the Controller FOUC assured that the duty is issued without penalty and since the vehicles have been a Nigerian used vehicle, the Valuation Unit of the Nigeria Customs will also give a value reduction based on depreciation.
