Terming the Union Budget-2017 as ‘trade and industry-friendly,’ Commissioner of Customs Abdul Khadir Rehman on Monday exuded confidence that the drop in excise duty on raw materials would give a boost to the manufacturing sector and improve exports from the country in the days to come.
Addressing the media after convening an awareness session on the Budget for the traders here, Mr. Rehman said that the Budget would help the Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ become a reality as there was scope for manufacturing goods at a lower price now.
Cost reduction
“The manufacturers can import raw material and components at a lower price due to the drop in the duty. The government, however, will collect the duty at the time of exports, which would be levied on the foreign firms that buy our products,” he said. Stating that the Customs Department was becoming more and more trader-friendly, he said that round-the-clock services were available in the Kakinada Customs House. “Now the import clearances are being given within two hours of receiving the application and that of the exports within one hour. Despite shortage of staff, the Customs House here has set a record in according the clearances and its services are acknowledged at the national level,” he said.
Client relation managers
For the convenience of traders, Mr. Rehman said, the department was appointing client relation managers in ports, who were expected to develop a rapport with importers and exporters and help them get their work done in time. “We are also extending the Authorised Economic Operator facility to the major players, which saves a lot of time during the process of exports and imports,” he said. Referring to the revenues, the Commissioner said that the Kakinda Customs House registered a revenue of ₹1,208 crore during the last fiscal and, against the target of ₹1,390 crore for the current year, a sum of ₹910 crore had already been collected. “There is a slowdown in the EXIM activity here this year, compared with last year,” he pointed out.
Joint Commissioner S. Narasimha Reddy, Deputy Commissioner B.K. Singh, chairman of the Cocanada Chamber of Commerce Dantu Surya Rao and others were present.
