Clearing agents have again suspended vehicle clearance at the Tincan Island Port, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, over the controversial 15 percent National Automotive Council (NAC) Levy.
Gatekeepers News reports that Lucky Amiwero, president of National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.
Amiwero revealed that clearing agents had suspended vehicle clearance at Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited as well as Five Star Terminal at the Tincan Island Port.
President of NCMDLCA says new levy is not backed by law Amiwero said that there is confusion with regard to Nigeria Customs Service’s `shifting’ of the 15% NAC Levy to Common External Tariff (CET).
He said, “Though the Federal Ministry of Finance changed the heading to Common External Tariff (CET), clearing agents still describe the new levy as illegal. It is not backed by law in Nigeria,”
Describing the CET as alien, the NCMDLCA President said, “The shifting from NAC Levy to CET, both 15 per cent, by the NCS, contravenes the principle of World Customs Organisation, Kyoto Convention on the Simplification and Harmonisation of Customs Procedure.
“It also contravenes the World Trade Organisation under the Agreement on Trade Facilitation Agreement which core principle is predictability, consistency and transparency on trade information, fees and charges imposed in connection with importation and exportation.’’
He said that this confusion has given rise to the accumulation of demurrage and rents for many vehicles that had been abandoned at the port, expressing worry that the situation would create bottlenecks to revenue collection and constitute an impediment to trade.
Amiwero said that the only approved levy for motor vehicles of 8703 cars is 5% which, he said, was legislated on by the National Assembly and signed into law by the president.
He said, “CET Levy of 15 per cent on motor vehicles is not backed by any law or approved in the Finance Act of 2020 and 2021 and not provided for in any law of the land.
“There is no such thing as CET Levy of 15 per cent either on motor vehicles or goods.
“The only approval is on ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Levy (ETLS) of 0.5 per cent; so, the introduction of CET Levy is strange to our domestic law and the ECOWAS Convention on Import Duties and Levies Assessment and Collection.”
