Customs set timeline for service delivery

The customs authority has set a timeline for service delivery to the exporters having bonded-warehouse licences in a bid to ease time and cost of doing business through speedy release of goods.

The customs officials will have to provide 25 types of services within the maximum time limit, set in an order issued on November 17.

From now on, the exporters will be able to get bond-related services within maximum 10 ten days as per the new order.

In another order, the customs wing of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) also determined requirement of documents for the exporters enjoying 100 per cent bonded-warehouse facility.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan hailed the decision, as the exporters have to meet time-bound orders of international buyers.

"We expect proper implementation of these orders in the field-level offices, so that the exporters can give on-time delivery of goods."

Responding to a query, the BGMEA president said it would be better, if the orders included any punitive measure in case of their non-compliance by the field-level officials.

Maximum time limits for disposing different applications by section offices, assistant revenue officer, revenue officer, assistant commissioner, deputy commissioner, joint commissioner and assistant deputy commissioner have been fixed in the order, signed by customs second secretary Md Moshiur Rahman Mondal.

The services include placing application for new bonded warehouse licence, temporary bond registration, EPZ bond licence application, 100 per cent export-orientated industries' application for audit and entitlement, renewal of bond licence, continuous or extended bond application, general bond, change in ownership, temporary relocation of factory, lien bank addition, and change in address of bonded industries etc.

Application of certification for release of raw materials from ports would need maximum seven days.

Talking to the FE, a senior customs official said the NBR fixed such timeline for the first time to facilitate the export-oriented industries having bonded warehouse licences.

Disposal of an application sometimes needs more than a month in different stages of customs due to not having any guideline.

In case of non-compliance of the order, the customs commissioner would be able to take actions against the officials concerned, he also said.

The timeline would be valid from the day of acceptance of the application by the bond officer or section concerned.

The officials concerned would not be able to keep an application pending. If needed, they can apply for extension of time.

Another order would resolve complexities, as some field-level customs officials ask for furnishing unnecessary documents, causing harassments to the export-oriented companies, he added.

Change in ownership, transfer of factories, general bond, permanent inter-bond transfer, lien bank addition, change or shifting of its branches, changes in office address, installation of machinery, extension of machinery, transfer of inter-bond of raw materials, no objection for import product release, release of bank guarantee, addition of new raw materials to bond licence, specimen signature, and increase in bonding tenure of raw materials are covered under the orders.

Customs officials would not be able to ask for any additional documents apart from those mentioned in the order. In case of any necessity, the officials have to obtain permission of the commissioner concerned to seek additional documents from a company.

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