Importers and clearing agents on Wednesday faced difficulties in clearing their goods following the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States’ Common External Tariff.
All the 16 members of the ECOWAS, including Nigeria, had agreed to introduce a uniform import tariff, pegged at 35 per cent maximum, from January this year, to facilitate trade within the region.
Acoording to the Nigeria Customs Service, the policy had taken effect on April 11, it was not enforced until Monday.
Several importers, who claimed not to be aware of this development, said many of them were asked to pay double what they use to pay as tariff on imported materials.
They also said the tension generated by the rate adjustment was heightened on Monday and Tuesday when they could not assess the Customs online portal.
They expressed fears that the development could result in another port congestion as many might be unable to immediately pay the new tariff.
Accordin to Punch an importer, whose consignment of electronic metal detector apparatus had just arrived at the port, complained to one of our correspondents that there was no prior notice about the adjustment in tariff, adding that she discovered on Tuesday that what she needed to pay on her goods had doubled.
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