Govt plans to get tough on importers of illicit products

By HELEN TARAWA
THE Government will impose tougher penalties on offenders guilty of importing illicit and counterfeit products into the country.
Treasury Minister Sam Basil warned businesses and importers to declare the right products and not to play games with the PNG Customs Services.
Basil, who was given a tour of the container examination facilities at Motukea, Port Moresby, yesterday, was informed by Customs that they had confiscated under-declared imported goods costing almost K1 million, causing a revenue loss to the state.
“I’d like to send out a stern warning to all the importers in PNG, people who are doing business in the country. We are asking you to respect the laws of this land. Make sure you declare the right products, do not under-declare and play games with PNG Customs Services,” he said.
“I’m told that these are the same people who come in, commit an offence, go to Investment Promotion Authority change companies, change shape and form and then come back commit the same offence under a different identity and company registration.
“I’m sending the warning to all the repeat offenders that in the near future we will bring into Parliament more stringent penalties.
“We can put these kinds of people away in jail for 10 years and after they serve their term, they will be escorted out of the prison straight onto the plane and deported.”
Basil said this was the right kind of punishment. He will bring the law to Parliament to make amendments.
Chief commissioner Ray Paul said the laws were outdated going back as far as 1952 and the penalty was a fine of less than K5,000.
“The laws were fit for the time in the past but it needs to be modernised. That’s one of our key focuses to work towards, imposing tougher penalties,” Paul said.