Customs brokers asked to register
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)