May 2011 - Afghanistan Customs Department

Customs Mirror
Issue: 01
Message from Deputy
Minister Said Mubin Shah
When people
think of
Customs, many
only remember
fees that had
to be paid, or
paperwork that
had to be filed.
But, the Afghan
Customs
Department is much more than that.
ACD is working continuously to aid
the reconstruction of our country and
improve the provision of basic services
to the people.
We have been working hard to fulfill
ACD’s obligation to raise the level
of revenue collected by the Afghan
government. ACD currently collects
over half of the government’s revenue,
and its collections have increased over
300 percent over the last five years.
This money helps fund vital services,
such as education, security, hospitals,
agriculture and trade.
We have also been working to
modernize ACD functions so they can
serve as a tool to facilitate trade and
encourage investment. The best of
these technological improvements is
the Automatic System for Customs Data
(ASYCUDA), by which ACD can track
shipments and their status. ACD is
taking major steps to bring this data to
international standards by enhancing
the quality of import and export
statistics.
Monthly Newsletter
May 2011
Customs Launches Monthly Newsletter
This is the inaugural edition of the Afghan Customs Department newsletter,
Customs Mirror. The purpose of the newsletter is to present news about events
and developments affecting Customs and to share the stories of Customs offices
and staff from across Afghanistan.
Please send your feedback, ideas, news, and your own success stories about
improving ACD by email to NewsACD@gmail.com and you may see your story in
an upcoming edition of the Customs Mirror.
Minister of Finance Pledges Support
for Customs Reforms
Minister of Finance H.E. Dr. Hazrat
Omar Zakhilwal recently visited
the Zaranj Province to meet
with customs officials, province
leadership, traders and local
elders.
At an event held in the Nimroz
Customs office, Dr. Zakhilwal
spoke about a $25 million USD
project to be implemented by
the Ministry of finance that will
include a new warehouse and
basic equipment for local Customs
operations.
He said, “Domestic revenue is
the only factor for economic and
political stability in the country.
We have plentiful resources of
revenue, but unluckily we have
not been able to entirely collect
the revenues. Of the many
reasons for failure to effectively
collect revenues at national level
is the persistence of corruption
in the government entities.
This issue poses a greater risk
to the future of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s oppositions also
feed their reinforcement through
the existence of corruption in
government entities.”
“If we are to ensure security and
emerge self-reliant economically,
we need to take serious steps
for combating corruption,” he
concluded.
Mr. Zakhilwal called on the local
traders to cooperate with Customs
in preventing corruption and
thwarting revenue leakage. He
recalled a number of companies
which, through their monopolist
and mafia type activities transport
their imported goods without paying
custom duties.
More P.2
These are but two of the many ways
we support the rebuilding of our country
and the success of our people. Thank
you for all of your hard work and your
service to Afghanistan.
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Customs Mirror
Issue: 01
Monthly Newsletter
Minister of Finance Pledges Support
for Customs Reforms...
The minister also pointed out the
interference of entities and agencies
in the functions of the Customs
office. He asked the leadership of
the province to cooperate in this
regard so these concerns can be
addressed, and improved services
can be provided to the residents and
workers of the province.
During the visit to the Nimroz
May 2011
Customs office, the minister also
reminded Customs official of
their duties and responsibilities,
and asked them to consider due
diligence and honesty during their
performance.
Academy Graduates New Officers
There will soon be more customs officers on the job with the recent graduation
from the Afghan National Customs Academy on March 30. A group of 50
trainees completed their courses and will now be assigned to posts across
Afghanistan.
The curriculum for the academy is developed by international customs experts
and tailored to meet the Afghan Customs Department’s specific needs.
The courses include the Afghan Constitution, Tariff and Customs laws and
procedures, Customs valuation, Automatic System for Customs Data and other
topics.
This is the academy’s sixth graduation, and 400 candidates have been prepared
to serve as Customs Officers since the academy was founded in January 2010.
Malalai Ibrahimi, Customs Academy
Training Manager, presents a graduate
with his diploma.
Export One-Stop-Shop Assists Afghan Traders
The new Export One-Stop-Shop
office was inaugurated at the
Afghan Customs Department
in Kabul on March 13 by the
Minister of Commerce H.E.
Anwar-ul-Haq Ahadi, Deputy
Minister of Finance Said Mubin
Shah and U.S. Ambassador Hans
Klemm.
The Export One-Stop-Shop
(E-OSS) is an initiative of the
Afghan government and the
Export Promotion Agency of
Afghanistan (EPAA), in coalition
with traders, to support trade and
make exporting easier.
Deputy Minister of Finance Said Mubin
Shah, Customs Director General Bismella
Kammawie and others celebrate the opening
of the EOSS.
The E-OSS is expected to
dramatically impact the way
Afghan traders do business
because its main purpose is to
decrease the time required for
processing pre-customs export
documents from one to three
days, to two to three hours.
This will be accomplished by
locating most of the issuers of
pre-customs documents in one
location, making it easier and
faster to complete the paperwork.
The center is equipped with firstclass computers to help expedite
transactions.
The E-OSS will also reduce
the expense associated with
this process. There will be
fewer transportation fees, and
enhanced transparency will mean
less opportunity for corruption.
Customs Mirror is a publication of the Afghan Customs Relations Unit.
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