Customs EDI fully operational in three years
Customs EDI fully operational in three years
JAKARTA (JP): Only 52 foreign exchange banks are now connected
to the customs electronic data interchange (EDI) system which was
launched in April, causing problems for importers using the
system, the customs said yesterday.
Director General of Customs and Excise, Soehardjo Soebardi,
told reporters that although his office had trained executives of
115 foreign exchange banks, only 87 banks had applied for an EDI
registration number.
"And of these 87 banks, only 52 are connected to the EDI
system," he said.
Soehardjo hinted that it was unlikely the EDI system would be
fully operational for about three years.
He said only eight percent of import transactions were now
conducted via the EDI system, up from 2.5 percent when it was
launched.
He said 92 percent of import documents were still handled
through the diskette system. This means importers prepare their
customs declarations on a diskette and take it to a customs' EDI
service shop.
"The diskette system is likely to be used for the next three
years," Soehardjo said.
Business has complained that the diskette system nullifies the
advantage of the EDI system which is minimizing physical contact
between customs officials and importers, thereby reducing
corruption.
Importers using diskettes still have to give printed copies of
their declarations to banks for duty and tax payments.
The EDI system was designed to allow importers to send their
declarations electronically to the customs office and
electronically pay import duties to their recipient banks.
It is supposed to electronically connect the customs office
with importers, shipping firms, foreign exchange banks and port
and airport authorities.
Importers who use diskettes have to pay more for data entry
and transmission at EDI service shops.
Rudy Pesik, chairman of PT Birotika Semesta DHL, said last
week that the EDI system had failed to achieve its objective due
to a serious lack of preparation in human resource training and
developing service networks.
Data transfer
"What the customs service is providing is not electronic data
interchange but simply electronic data transfer," Pesik said at a
meeting with importers.
The EDI system replaced the pre-shipment inspection of imports
system which was started in mid-1985 to bypass the then
corruption-infested customs service. The new system incorporates
selective arrival inspection and post-entry audit.
But since the new system began importers have been complaining
about unclear sections of the new system, particularly in
relation to the transaction value of imported goods, tariff
classification, on what basis customs may decide to direct
imported goods to green or red lanes and criteria for the post
entry-auditing of imports.
Soehardjo said that 900 importers had been trained to use the
EDI system by the middle of the month but only 274 of them had
EDI registration numbers and only 105 were connected to the
system.
He said that much still had to be done to improve the system
because EDI presently linked only the customs office to foreign
exchange banks and to ports and airports.
"There is no electronic fund transfer yet between importers
and their banks," he said.
He said several other government offices and private agencies
had yet to join the system, such as the tax office, the state
treasury office and shipping companies.
"The EDI system will be effective if more importers and
related government offices are connected," he said.
Soehardjo blamed importers for most of the problems that still
hinder the smooth import clearance of goods through the port.
"We have discovered many dishonest businesses falsely stating
the value of their imports," he said.
Importers have said they have frequent differences with
customs officials about tariff classification and transaction
values, which determine the amount of duty they must pay. (pwn)