Customs collects over $159M in taxes for 2008
By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ALTHOUGH the year 2008 posed a myriad of financial and economic challenges to the nation, the St. Kitts-Nevis Customs and Excise Department recorded an unprecedented EC$159.4M in tax collection last year.
Minister of Finance, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris made this announcement during his featured address at the opening ceremony of the 6th Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC) Junior Customs Officers Basic Training Course yesterday (Jan. 26) at the Frigate Bay Resort.
Dr. Harris said the figure represents the highest revenue earned by the federal agency in the last six years, showing a record-breaking 63.99 percent increase from 2003.
“I want to commend the Customs Department for the manner in which it has consistently discharged this revenue collection role over the years and I encourage it to be even more vigilant this year. The Customs Department contributes nearly 40 percent of every dollar of recurrent revenue collected by the government.
“It is the Department which singlehandedly collects most of the cash resources available to government. Its most recent six-year performance reveals the following sums: in 2003, EC$97.2M was collected; in 2004, EC$111.6M; in 2005, EC$139M; in 2006, EC$143.4M; in 2007, EC$156.9M; and now EC$159.4M in 2008. Every year this Department has improved on the realised cash intake and we expect this pattern to continue in 2009.”
Dr. Harris also informed that duty concessions for 2008 totaled over EC$200M and noted that such concessions are “necessary to provide continued stimulation in our socio-economic development”. Minister Harris stressed that it is “absolutely necessary” for customs officers to be adequately trained, not only in the classroom but also through daily on- job avenues as such a move would allow officers to properly administer and manage concessions in an “airtight manner to eliminate abuses thereof”.
The Finance Minister stated that with the changing global trade environment, taxes on international trade will be “less important in the long term” and stressed that in the areas of border control and security, trade and travel facilitation, and promotion-related activities, the Customs Department would be required to do more.
Dr. Harris lauded the management and staff of the Customs Department for their high level of cooperation, skills and competencies displayed over the years and the willingness to be at the “cutting edge of technology and management practices”.
