Dear Editor,

I believe it is imperative that the public be aware of the frustrations encountered by importers of zero-rated items.

To summarize, the importation process in the past involved the submission of a Customs entry that detailed the items, prices and freight. The entry was then processed through valuation and classification, duty assessed and paid, and cargo cleared and made available for sale.

Now, all of a sudden, it has been deemed necessary for importers of zero-rated items to have a “remission” letter issued by the Commissioner General’s (CG) office prior to submission of the regular Customs entry at Main Street. This means the CG’s office has usurped the regular functions of Customs and is adding another level of bureaucracy to the importation process.

To the casual observer this may seem a trivial issue; however, note that the time taken to issue this “remission” letter is now averaged to be about two weeks. This, coupled with the time to process an entry at customs can take a conservative time of 4 weeks. Further, a customs entry can only be lodged when the cargo has actually arrived, and not before.

I believe that certain logical deductions can be made about this ‘strategy,’ the most obvious being that Customs is corrupt and cannot be trusted to determine what is a zero-rated item. Nonetheless, the CG should be advised that certain zero-rated items, eg onions, pharmaceuticals, etc, are deemed ‘perishable’ and cannot wait on the whims and fancies of his department to issue this prestigious “remission” letter as they please.

Importers are not re-migrants, and to be issued a remission letter with every shipment is simply ridiculous. Your message of being anti-business is quite clear; however, your shenanigans must be exposed.

Yours faithfully,

(Name and address provided)