Customs office plans paperless services next year
Customs office plans paperless services next year
JAKARTA (JP): The Directorate General of Customs and Excise
plans to launch paperless customs services, using an electronic
data interchange (EDI) system in April when the new customs law
comes into force.
Eddy Abdurrachman, head of the directorate general's automatic
data processing and information center, said yesterday that the
system will help expedite the clearance of imported goods from
customs areas.
"These days, we are not sure how much time is needed to clear
goods from customs areas because everything is handled manually.
Later, when the EDI system is in place, the clearance can be
handled much quicker," Eddy announced after attending the signing
of a memorandum of understanding on customs cooperation between
Indonesia and Korea's customs services.
"If we can clear goods within one day using the system, it
will be quite a breakthrough," Eddy said, adding that the system
will be used as a pilot project in Tanjung Priok port and
Sukarno-Hatta Airport, both in Jakarta.
The system, Eddy said, is designed to reduce personal contact
between customs officials and businesspeople and consequently
lessen red tape and minimize the possibility of collusion between
officials and businesspeople.
Eddy explained that the system will electronically connect the
customs office to all related parties involved in customs
matters, including importers, port and airport authorities,
shipping companies, airlines, freight forwarders, banks and
related government departments.
Eddy, however, declined to give the figures on the total cost
of the electronic data interchange system, saying that investment
in the system will be mostly borne by state-owned
telecommunications firm PT Indosat and state-owned port operator
PT Pelabuhan II.
Both companies have set up a provider, PT EDI Indonesia, to
run the system for customs services.
Eddy noted that the system will be very important to
facilitate the smoother flow of goods, especially when Indonesia
applies the post-audit system for imported goods beginning in
April.
The government, through a finance ministry decree dated May
28, will terminate the preshipment inspection contract with
state-owned PT Surveyor Indonesia on April 1, 1997, three months
earlier than its original expiry date.
The decree, however, does not stipulate if preshipment
inspections will be maintained or not. It only informs Surveyor
Indonesia to prepare for the termination of its contract.
The directorate general lost its inspection authority in mid-
1985, when the government installed the preshipment inspection
system for Indonesia's imports in a bid to ensure the smooth flow
of imports.
Director General of Taxes and Excise Soehardjo Soebardi said
his office had invested tens of billions of rupiah to prepare its
personnel to conduct post-auditing of import documents.
"The post-audit system demands transparency in all related
parties. So, we hope the people using customs services will be
more open in declaring their goods, otherwise they may encounter
problems," Soehardjo said.
He assured businesses that the post-audit system will be much
cheaper than the current preshipment inspection system whereby
the government has to pay inspection fees to Surveyor Indonesia.
Eddy explained that the post-audit system is basically a self-
assessment system where importers and exporters themselves
assesses the value of their goods and pay the taxes and other
duties according to their assessment. Customs inspection will be
done selectively.
"Under the post-audit system, we should trust each other and
basically deal only with documents. When businesspeople do
everything correctly, they will not face any difficulties at
all," Eddy assured. (rid)