Chief aims to improve compliance, revenue collection

NEW Chief Commissioner of Customs David Towe believes that areas such as compliance and revenue collection can be improved.
Towe, who took over from Ray Paul yesterday, said improving compliance was important.
He said at a time when the economy was depressed, the organisation needed to collect as much as it could. “Every revenue that the Government deserves must go to the Government,” Towe said.
“We must ensure that we collect all the revenue – no toea more, no toea less.”
He stressed the need to ensure that the facilitation of international trade and travel was legitimate, making sure that PNGs borders were protected. “We are given the mandate to (protect) our borders, collect our revenues, protect local industries,” he said.
Paul said the organisation had faced challenges over the years but was able to modernise its business processes and simplify it by delivering its strategic plans.
He said networks with other international agencies had been established.
Customs supported staff development with close to 95 per cent of its workers tertiary graduates.
“From when we started 10 years ago, we had only 30 per cent of our officers who were tertiary graduates. Today we have close to 95 per cent.”