Business community presents complaints regarding Albania’s new customs code

Since more than a month the General Directory of Customs has launched an information campaign on the new Customs Code and the legal provisions accompanying it.

But during several meetings held so far, the business community has raised a number of issues that are being faced during various customs procedures.

Among the issues raised were the reduced customs administration schedules, the non-payment of excise duty, and the lack of functioning of the green canal.

“There is a schedule, and we, as Albanian producers exporting to all over Europe, across the Balkans, do not have a place to go to customs at ten o’clock so that we are told say “you will pass tomorrow”. In the Balkans there is no such thing, in Italy there is no such thing, in other countries there is no such thing. You just pass and the job is done. You can pass any time you go. This is one of the biggest obstacles to our businesses.

Second, scanners were established. We agree, we are not against it, let them be controlled, but according to the Constitution; the payment should be made by the one who has interest, the one who does the job. So, the state must effectively pay for this job, since the control is done by the state. But something else came out, something that burdens business even more. There can be no container checks, but checks are made through customs declarations,” declared Bardhyl Balteza of the Union of Producers.

“If I am an excise operator and make an excise charge within my structure, I need to be automatically reimbursed. I do not need other customs operators to come and control me. If they do not agree, customs can find their reasons,” said an entrepreneur.

“Live stocks cannot wait for long at customs, despite the fact whether the system works or not, whether it has been approved by the General Directory of Customs or not, and whether it is the operator/customs officer dealing with the temporary exemption procedures for VAT. I refer to the Green Channel for which I do not see any application here. Compared to Kosovo, regarding the import of live stocks, there is no delay of more than 10 minutes. If a customs officer needs physical control of animal, they are obliged to go to the destination,” said another entrepreneur.

Referring to these issues as well as new legal acts expected to come into force, Deputy General Manager of Customs, Mirela Meko, said businesses are uninformed about innovations in the customs system.

The new Customs Code enters into force on June 1 and aims to improve and simplify many procedures, increase legal certainty for economic operators, and rely on technological development of the system.

SCAN

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