Customs office extends manual customs services
Customs office extends manual customs services
JAKARTA (JP): The Directorate General of Customs and Excise
has agreed to extend the manual processing of import customs
declarations until June 15.
Director General Soehardjo Soebardi said he agreed because not
all importers had subscribed to the electronic data interchange
(EDI) system.
"Not all importers are ready to implement the EDI system so
the manual system is extended for another 45 days, although
manual processing of documents takes longer," Soehardjo said here
over the weekend.
The directorate general had required all importers to submit
customs declarations through the EDI system or diskettes (to be
processed at the EDI) starting May 1.
The Indonesian Importers Association's chairman, Amirudin
Saud, had urged the customs office to extend the transition
period by eight weeks so importers could better prepare.
Most importers had not yet subscribed to the EDI system, and
had to process their customs declarations manually, Amirudin
said.
"Most of them don't even understand how to prepare customs
declaration forms on a diskette," he said.
Through the EDI system, importers can send their customs
declarations electronically to the customs office and
electronically pay import duties to their recipient banks.
The system electronically connects the customs office with
importers, shipping firms, foreign exchange banks and port and
airport authorities.
Currently only 2.5 percent of all importers and three foreign
exchange banks subscribe to the system.
The government subsidizes the operation of the EDI system to
encourage related parties, especially importers and banks, to
subscribe to it.
The EDI system would speed up document processing and customs
clearance for the release of goods from the port, Customs
Director Permana Agung said.
Importers and customs brokers have complained that the
movement of containers from Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta and
Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya, East Java, has been slow due to
the slow processing of customs documents.
They also complained that too many import consignments had
been ordered to the red lane, requiring physical inspection.
Containers took up 97 percent of the terminals' capacity
several days ago before decreasing to some 80 percent over the
weekend when some were transferred to private container terminals
for stacking.
Stacking containers at private terminals costs importers more.
Permana said the customs office alone could not be blamed for
the slow movement of goods because many parties, including the
port authority, were involved in clearing goods from customs
areas.
But he again pledged to facilitate quicker clearance of goods
from customs areas by forging better coordination with port,
airport authorities, banks and customs brokers. (rid)