By ISMAIL MUSA LADU
In Summary
Joined. Tanzania and Burundi have joined the system after being reluctant for some time.
KAMPALA.
Beverages such as mineral water, soft drinks and
beer have been added onto items to be cleared under the Single Customs
Territory system, a regional initiative meant to speed up the clearance
of goods and quicken revenue collection.
Other goods that have also been cleared under the system include; wines, spirits and plastics.
“Beginning June 16, 2014 the following (goods
mentioned above) items imported from Kenya will be cleared using Single
Custom Territory (SCT) procedures,” Uganda Revenue Authority (URA)
public notice issued early in the week, reads in part.
According to URA, inclusion of more items came
after SCT successfully passed the experiment to clear fuel, neutral
spirit, cigarettes, and cements from Kenya.
Success story
Furthermore, clearance of edible oils, steel products, milk and milk products and confectionary into Uganda from Kenya, proved that all items can undergo the same procedure—SCT.
Furthermore, clearance of edible oils, steel products, milk and milk products and confectionary into Uganda from Kenya, proved that all items can undergo the same procedure—SCT.
“All exports from Kenya to Uganda shall be cleared
under SCT clearance procedures with effect from July 1, 2014. Under SCT
clearance procedures, customs declarations are made electronically and
are processed and released by URA prior to loading of such goods for
export from Kenya,” reads the public notice signed by the commissioner
for customs URA, Mr Richard Kamajugo.
Uganda Manufacturers Association advocacy and
policy analyst Godfrey Ssali, said in an interview yesterday, that the
manufacturers are backing the move to have goods cleared under the SCT.
He said: “This is a move in a right direction. We hope that this
initiative will further reduce dumping and smuggling and quicken
movement of goods across the border and increase revenue collections for
the country.”
Need for education
Despite the good intentions of the SCT, the Kampala City Trader Association (Kacita) chairman, Mr Everest Kayondo, said nothing much has been done in terms of sensitisation, leaving traders ignorant of such developments regarding the Single Customs Territory regional initiative.
Despite the good intentions of the SCT, the Kampala City Trader Association (Kacita) chairman, Mr Everest Kayondo, said nothing much has been done in terms of sensitisation, leaving traders ignorant of such developments regarding the Single Customs Territory regional initiative.
“Traders have a mixed feeling about SCT because
they do not have information. We suggest that sensitisation should not
be broadly designed but packaged to suit the interests of the different
sectors and industries.
“However, SCT is a good initiative save for lack of information about its operations,” Mr Kayondo said on Tuesday.
Tanzania, Burundi join SCT system
Tanzania and Burundi have also joined Uganda,
Kenya and Rwanda in implementing the single custom territory (SCT),
Uganda Revenue Authority, one of the regional implementing agencies has
confirmed.
Until recently, Tanzania and Burundi had been
reluctant, saying the initiative (SCT) was arrived at without
participation of all the member states, implying that it lacked the
regional appeal of the five East African Community EAC member countries.
According to URA, the five EAC member states have now agreed to enforce the SCT initiatives.
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