In order to reduce the customs problems, it is necessary to monitor the market and strengthen the income tax standards.
Stakeholders said this while speaking during the sessional discussion on the 'Bill to Amend and Consolidate Customs Laws' at Friday's meeting of the Finance Committee under the House of Representatives. They believe that the classification of
items is technically difficult even though it looks easy. Speaking at the meeting, the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance mentioned that if there is a difference in the classification, there will be a difference in the price of the goods and emphasized that the goods should be classified according to their nature.
He said that in case the customs staff is unable to classify the goods, they can take the advice of an expert. If there is any doubt in the classification, it is necessary to send the sample of the goods to the director general of the customs department and arrange for the department head to classify them according to prevailing standards. According to Secretary Ghimire, it is not appropriate to set a time limit when he has to classify the goods with the customs organization.
He said, 'If the classification of goods is different, the tariff will also be different. Therefore, classification should be done according to the nature of the object. Codes are used to identify and classify international goods. Even if the goods are classified according to international standards, sometimes there may be problems. If there is any such doubt, it should be sent to the Director General of the Customs Department and he should classify it according to the practice. In case of not being able to classify the item, an opinion can also be taken from an expert. The customs organization can also be consulted on this matter. Although the subject of classification of objects seems easy, it is a very technical subject.' Speaking at the
meeting, Mahesh Bhattarai, Director General of the Customs Department said that a law should be made to monitor the market and strengthen the income tax standards.
According to him, if the standards of income tax are regularized and market monitoring is strengthened, the problems seen in the customs will automatically be reduced. He emphasized that laws should be made to make the internal revenue system systematic and robust. He said that determining the price of goods does not fall under the jurisdiction of customs laws.
He said, 'If we can tighten the market monitoring, we can tighten the income tax standards and if we can increase the tax scope, the customs problems will automatically reduce. Customs is going to strengthen the customs administration. Our payment system should also be formalized. The internal revenue system should also be strengthened. Market monitoring will also have to be strengthened.'
