Border import tax planned

 PNG Customs plans to start charging import tax on goods brought across the Indonesian border near Wutung village in West Sepik, Papua New Guinea Customs Commissioner Ray Paul said.

“But before we start charging taxes, we will  have to conduct awareness and review the current Customs Act,”  he said.

“This is to cater for the new changes that will help us monitor the movement of goods along the border. The current Act has gaps in it.”

Paul said they were charging import tax on certain goods brought from Batas at the Wutung Border Post. 

“Customs and business change over time and we have to change our way of implementing our duties,” he said.  

“If we don’t change then we will still have issues,

Paul said Customs role at the border was to ensure importers declared the goods they brought in. 

“There are goods that are restricted, there are high dutiable goods and there are others that are not under these categories. 

“So we are coming up with a new policy to address the movement of goods and people along the border according to the new trend of the way businesses are conducted these days.”