ASEAN customs to start harmonizing tariffs next year<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Heads of customs administrations from the
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) pledged yesterday
\nto facilitate smooth flows of goods and agreed to use harmonized
\ntariff terminology by next year.<\/p>\n
The ASEAN customs director generals also formulated an ASEAN
\ncustoms vision 2020 during their two-day annual meeting in Bandar
\nSeri Begawan, Brunei, which ended yesterday.<\/p>\n
They said they would speed up the implementation of harmonized
\ntariff terms to simplify trade transactions.<\/p>\n
\"This would avoid unnecessary confusion or complexity at the
\nborder about the appropriate classification of a product and
\nfacilitate cross-border flows of goods in the region,\" they said.<\/p>\n
Brunei, the Philippines and Singapore will implement the
\nsystem starting next year. Indonesia will work toward
\nimplementing it next year. Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam will
\nimplement it in the year 2000.<\/p>\n
Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar -- three potential ASEAN members
\nthat attended the meeting as observers -- will adopt the system.<\/p>\n
The director generals also agreed to an initial set of
\nprocedures where work on harmonization should begin.<\/p>\n
These include correlating business hours for border customs
\noffices and allowing declarants to lodge provisional or
\nincomplete customs declarations to release their goods and submit
\nall the necessary information within a specified period.<\/p>\n
They also agreed to allow lodgement, checking and registration
\nof goods declarations prior to their arrival. And to allow pre-
\nclearance of goods and explore simplification and harmonization
\nof procedures for goods in transit.<\/p>\n
They agreed to look into establishing common procedures for
\ntemporary admission of goods, and ways to improve green lane
\nsystems for some goods.<\/p>\n
Because of the increasing competitiveness of the world's
\neconomies, they formulated the customs vision to provide a
\nframework and focus for ASEAN customs activities.<\/p>\n
\"We agreed on the following vision for the year 2020: an ASEAN
\ncustoms partnership for world class standards and excellence in
\nefficiency, professionalism and service, and uniformity through
\nharmonized procedures, to promote trade and investment and to
\nprotect the health and well-being of the ASEAN community,\" they
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
To realize the vision, they agreed to collectively develop
\nadministrative and technical cooperation on customs.<\/p>\n
Technical cooperation includes procedures for goods in transit
\nand temporary admission, automation, cargo processing, tariff
\nclassification, customs valuation, rules of origin, post-entry
\naudit and risk management.<\/p>\n
On automation, they agreed to develop an ASEAN electronic data
\ninterchange (EDI) that would comply with United Nations Rules for
\nEDI for Administrations, Commerce and Transport.<\/p>\n
Indonesia uses the EDI system to back up its new customs
\nprocedures that began last month to expedite customs document
\nprocessing.<\/p>\n
As most importers do not yet subscribe to the EDI system,
\nIndonesia's customs office will continue to provide manual
\nprocessing of declarations until June 15.<\/p>\n
But customs officials have made it clear that the customs
\noffice will not accept manually-processed declarations after June
\n15.<\/p>\n
After this date all declarations must go through the EDI
\nsystem or be handed to the EDI center on diskettes. (rid)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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