The
Federal Government has lifted the embargo on the importation of textile
materials into the country. Confirming this in Lagos yesterday, the
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, (NCS), Alhaji
Abdullahi Dikko said that Nigerians can now import textile materials
subject to payment of right duty.
Speaking at the official
launching of the implementation of Economic Community of West Africa
States, (ECOWAS), Common External Tariff, (CET), Dikko said that the
items were removed from the prohibition list in line with the laws
guiding the CET regime. “Textile, furniture and others have become
dutiable as both commodities have been removed from the Import
Prohibition Lists and it is going to be implemented” said Abdullahi
Dikko.
The
Customs boss, who was represented by Victor Gbemudu, Assistant
Comptroller General, Zone ‘A’, said that importers of these goods are
now expected to pay 35 percent duty as agreed by ECOWAS member countries
as well as the levy as contained in the Import Adjustment Tax (IAT).
“CET
also comes with some adjustments for member countries. There are 97
chapters with the 5,899 tariff headings but every member country is
entitled to 3 percent adjustment. “This 3 percent adjustment translates
into 177 tariff headings to enable member countries to protect their
local industries.”
Gbemudu said these items were banned because
the government wanted to protect the local industries involved in the
manufacturing of these goods. He also promised that by 2020, there would
no longer be any item on the import prohibition list as everything
would have been harmonized. He said that the CET is subject to review
every five years.
He however said that poultry products still
remain banned as government cannot allow their importation from outside
the country. “If you go through the Common External Tariff you will see
that a lot of items have been removed from the prohibition list and it
is going to be implemented; mostly, furniture, textiles and the rest of
them, most of them will now pay duty and will have Import Adjustment Tax
(IAT)”
“The CET is not new, it embraces about 15 countries
which includes Nigeria, all we are just doing is to bring stakeholders
to understand what the CET is all about and to a large extent it comes
with some adjustments for member countries”, he explained.
Speaking
on the advantage of the CET on Nigerian economy, Gbemudu assured that
there would no longer be policy somersault on importation, saying that
importers can now project and plan five years ahead since the duty
payable will remain the same. He charged stakeholders not to blame the
Customs or the federal government for any inconveniences occasioned by
the implementation of CET, saying that it is not peculiar to Nigeria,
but that it is a regional thing.
Gbemudu said that customs
introduced the Import Adjustment Tax (IAT) in order to protect certain
policies of government such as the sugar policy, agricultural policy,
solid mineral policy among others.
The new CET regime according
to an official of the tariff will eventually lead to consolidated
regional market while stimulating regional production capacity and
deepening economic integration. It will recalled that the Federal
Government banned these items in 2010 with a view to growing the local
industries.
Credit: Vanguard
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