January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
New on-the-spot fines for mis-declared goods
The new rule went into effect on December 1.
A Customs official said this means that those who are found to have false or incomplete customs declarations during the Christmas season will no longer have to wait until after the holiday to get their purchases back. Currently, offenders are subjected to a formal and often lengthy investigative process that can take months.
The Collector of Customs has decided to streamline penalties for arriving air travellers, not just to reduce delays, but also to lower the volume of goods under customs control, and to permit Customs investigators to focus limited resources on more important commercial fraud cases.
In the new system, if a passenger contravenes policy, then the customs officer will issue that person with a Civil Penalty Notice right away. This Notice simply states the amount of the on-the-spot penalty and the amount of any outstanding duty due.
Official Government receipts will be issued by Customs whenever any duty or penalties are paid.
A Customs spokesperson said: “In deciding whether to impose a penalty, Customs will take care to give the benefit of doubt whenever possible. For example, where Customs is satisfied that a traveller has made an honest mistake, no penalty will be imposed.
“Penalties and duty do not have to be paid right away. Any traveller who is not in a position to pay immediately may leave their goods in the care of Customs and may reclaim those goods at any time within the following 30 days.”
In addition, on-the-spot penalties can be disputed within 30 days using the free customs reviews process. Detailed guidance on Customs reviews and appeals can be found in Customs public notice 15 – “Customs Reviews and Appeals”.
Any questions regarding import duty or on-the-spot customs penalties may be sent by email to [email protected] . Further customs related information and copies of all customs leaflets and public notices are available on the Customs Department website www.customs.gov.bm .
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