Self Assessment in Customs - CBEC's Vision
ADDRESSING the International Customs Day Celebrations, the CBEC Chairman Shri Dutt Mazumder said, “We must continuously modernize our Customs administration. We have implemented EDI in Customs through Version 1.00. Now we are in the process of migration to a more robust system, Version 1.5.0. This would enable us to undertake many more systems modernization schemes. Once RMS is stabilized, we are in the process of having a robust PCA – Post Clearance Audit. We realized, just as we have self assessment in Central Excise and Service Tax, we must also have self assessment in Customs.”
In fact three days ago, the Chairman had announced in the presence of the Finance Minister, during the investiture ceremony that, “our vision is to have self assessment in Customs, as soon as we implement PCA successfully”.
The Chairman noted that Customs Revenue Collections were extremely good, but he said, “ E e ven as revenue collection continues to be our core competency, we cannot ignore the overreaching requirement of trade facilitation and tax payer friendly processes. There has to be a seamless flow of goods so that transaction cost in international trade is minimized”.
To this end, there is a need to modernize the Customs Administration and perhaps Self Clearance and Self Assessment in Customs will be a reality soon.