April 08, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has confirmed the reduction of duty payable on imported used vehicles, also known as Tokunbo, from 35 percent to 20 percent.
Speaking on the development, the Customs Area Controller, Tincan Island Command of the service, Compt. Kunle Oloyede, confirmed that the duty payable on Tokunbo vehicles have reduced from 35 percent to 20 percent.
Oloyede, who was speaking to journalists in Lagos, further disclosed that the reduction on used vehicle import duty may go down further, adding that it was necessary to check smuggling of cars into the country.
He said, “Because when you check what is happening around, it’s high values, high rate of duty that allows smuggling through our land borders. Two or three days ago, the duty of vehicles dropped to 20 percent, government is looking at it, that is why new vehicles pay 35 percent and old vehicles also pay 35 percent even after giving backward integration incentives to most of those assembling plants, we still don’t have plants that can really satisfy the demands of transport sector.
“I think that is why government in its decision decided to drop the duty payable on tokunbo vehicles, and its going to drop further. From grapevine, I hear that there could be further reduction so as to discontinue smuggling. We want to make smuggling not to be lucrative again that is the way the government is looking at it.”
On revenue drive, Comptroller Oloyede said the management team of the command has started making moves to lure people back to the command for revenue generation.
“I can tell you, when we compare revenue from the time I came in up to now, we have over 25 billion extra export, compared to 24 billion it was before because I have been able to lure back people that are into bulk cargo. I have been able to convince them to come back to Josepdam.
“I visited Josepdam, I told them that my doors are open, the doors of my D.C. enforcement, D.C. in charge of bulk cargo are open.”
