By Tanu Jalloh
President Ernest Bai Koroma Tuesday visited Queen Elizabeth II Quay to inform officials of both the Sierra Leone ports authority (SLPA) and the National Revenue Authority (NRA) that much was expected from them; a move importers said was against their interest.
An executive member of the Sierra Leone importers association, who preferred to be anonymous, said government's pressure on these revenue generating and collecting institutions has left them at the mercy of insensitive custom workers and tax collectors.
“This pressure has made customs officials very powerful. They have resorted to asking for exorbitant amounts on the grounds that government wants more money to run the affairs of the state. We are not supposed to be paying US$235 before Intertek could scan our containers. That is the highest fee ever charged on scanning the world over. In the UK it is £10, USA and Canada it is US&10 are charged on goods and containers imported,” he said.
He said recently they discovered that some officials, under the directives of top customs personnel, had gone around exploiting importers much to the disgust of the association which is trying to regroup under an interim body. The association was formed in 1993 to seek the interest of importers in the country.
However, the President said revenue generated internally would help alleviate the sufferings of the ordinary man, especially if they chose to conduct their activities transparently by avoiding delays, controlling smuggling, not asking for ‘kick-backs' and concentrating on income-generation for the general good.
Meanwhile, he raised concerns about complaints being made by the general public regarding the process of clearing goods, particularly the issue of bribery, revealing that he would find ways of ascertaining whether officials' claims of being corrupt-free are true.
The President reminded officials about the ban on the export - and to avoid any smuggling - of logs.
In inspecting the customs offices, the President was informed about steps being taken by the new NRA administration to ensure efficiency and better service delivery. Apart from controlling the numbers of people visiting the offices, the President was informed about DfID's donation of vehicles to the authority and how they have met their targets in revenue generation and would improve on it by the end of the year.
Queen Elizabeth II Quay is the world's third largest natural harbour. The Port's operations are largely in the hands of Intertek/Port Maritime Security International.
