The private sector stakeholders have urged the government to ensure hassle-free customs clearance procedures.
During discussions on the "Bill Designed to Amend and Integrate Customs-Related Laws" at the Finance Committee of the House of Representatives on Sunday, private sector representatives called for removing procedural hurdles in customs clearance and limiting the discretionary powers of customs employees.

They emphasized the need to develop adequate infrastructure for quarantine and quality testing of goods, as well as to reduce the required deposit amount during inspections.

President of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), Rajesh Kumar Agrawal, criticized the proposed Bill for failing to address IT and power trade issues. "It is silent on software exports and does not clarify whether power trade falls under customs jurisdiction," he remarked.
The CNI has also proposed establishing a separate judicial body to handle administrative reviews in case of disputes arising during customs inspections.

Deepak Shrestha, vice president of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce, highlighted that the revenue collection targets for customs and tax offices have negatively impacted the business community. He urged the authorities to eliminate the reference price book used in customs surveillance and to streamline the classification of goods under the harmonized code system.

The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) demanded a reduction in the deposit amount for goods flagged during customs inspections, lowering it from the current 50% to 25%. The FNCCI also proposed revising the penalty for underbilling or overbilling, reducing the current 100% fine to 50%.

The Bill aims to amend the Customs Act to align with the Kyoto Protocol, to which Nepal is a party, and to make customs clearance procedures more advanced and technology-friendly. --RSS