CHRONIC inefficiency by the Customs and Excise Division has led to thousands of importers not receiving cargo to benefit from the Christmas trade.
Many business people are now concerned about having “dead stock” which they would have difficulty getting rid of in the slow post-Christmas period.
Business organisations have not been able to place a value on the imported goods caught in the Customs and Excise logjam, but it is estimated that the total worth is several million dollars.
A shortage of staff at the Container Examination Station (CES) is the primary cause of the bottleneck at Customs operations, especially at Swissport bond at Piarco.
Blame is being heaped on Finance Minister Colm Imbert, who has ministerial responsibility for the division and who was alerted several weeks ago about the worsening problem.
Imbert did not intervene until a few days ago when working hours of Customs officials were extended.
In mid-November, several business groups and courier companies appealed to Imbert to initiate measures to bring an end to the major and costly processing delays.
At that time, Mayaro Member of Parliament Rushton Paray noted that the delay in processing containers led to importers facing burdensome rent and demurrage charges.
Paray said the emergency “could have the effect of sending up the costs of Christmas purchases, thus creating further hardship for consumers.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce Stephen de Gannes recently revealed that letters on the issue were sent to Imbert and the Comptroller of Customs.
De Gannes called for rental charges to be waived during the Christmas period.
“If it is Customs’ fault; they should pay the fee,” he stated.
Kiran Singh, President of Greater San Fernando Chamber, also expressed frustration over the backlog of goods affecting all importers, including individual operators.
Singh said: “I cannot understand why year after year, when Christmas is a fixed date on the calendar, we have the perennial problem to get goods cleared.”
Importers groused that even in the current digital age, payments must be made in cash or certified cheques, instead of online.
President of Couva-Point Lisas Chamber Mukesh Ramsingh said that apart from the slow processing process, Customs officers are personally inspecting all cargo and not utilising scanners.
Ramsingh noted that truckers are also affected.
One major importer said “it is overdue” that working hours for Customs officers “be extended during peak periods, such as Christmas time.”
He stated: “The inefficiency directly affects importers, through higher charges, and these costs are passed onto consumers, who are already dealing with a high cost of living.”
Infuriated over the issue, he slammed: “It is either that Imbert does not care or he is Scrooge who hates Christmas and goodwill.”
All the business leaders said they have received complaints from their members about the frustrations they are enduring.
In a belated intervention, Imbert said Customs officers were working until 11 p.m. to clear the estimated 150,000 packages imported this month.
He termed the issue “a complex problem.”
