Customs brokers asked to register

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad has issued a ruling requiring customs brokers to register with the customs office and pay guarantees for their operations.

The finance minister's decree No. 701/KMK.05/1996, dated Dec. 24, stipulates that all customs brokers must get their registration numbers from the customs office by April 1, when the 1995 customs law comes into force.

"The ruling was issued in an effort to improve customs services and (customs brokers') accountability to the people," the Ministry of Finance spokesman Agus Haryanto stated yesterday.

To qualify for registration at the customs office, a customs broker must have at least one certified customs expert and must enclose a customs certificate when applying for a registration number.

The Directorate General of Customs and Excise, in cooperation with the Indonesian Forwarders Association, recently launched a customs-service training program for freight forwarders wanting to be certified as customs experts.

Freight forwarding companies now also provide customs brokerage services.

When applying for their registration numbers, customs brokers are required to enclose their tax registration numbers, their establishment deeds and their last tax return.

Customs brokers are also required to deposit money to guarantee their operations. But the regulation does not mention the size of the required deposits.

The ministry said that customs brokers failing to comply with these requirements would not be allowed to provide customs services.

Director General of Customs and Excise Soehardjo Soebardi said last year that he was irritated by the operation of freight forwarders, which he accused of acting as customs service scalpers rather than customs brokers.

The directorate has no direct control over freight forwarding firms and other customs service providers because it does not license them. Freight forwarding companies obtain their licenses from the Ministry of Transportation. (bnt)