Customs office to audit importers

Customs office to audit importers

Starting next week, the Directorate General of
Customs and Excise will send out officials to check on the
addresses of all licensed importers and examine their operations.

The move is part of the agency's efforts to improve its data
on the country's importers, and to curb smuggling and tax fraud
by unscrupulous importers, Novrial, head of the customs reform
program, said on Thursday.

Based on the data collected, the directorate general would
identify importers who were prone to smuggling or lying about the
real value of their imports.

To date, the agency has been relying on data provided by the
Ministry of Industry and Trade, which is the only institution
authorized to issue licenses to importers.

Through the survey, the customs office wants to verify and
update the data provided by the ministry.

Industry players said that a lot of the data from the ministry
was misleading as many businessmen submitted fake addresses and
identities to obtain their licenses.

During the first phase, the registration process would be
focused on importers with addresses in Jakarta and West Java,
who, according to the agency's data, numbered at least 4,000.

The customs agency would field 300 inspectors to carry out the
survey. -- JP