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Duty losses

Wednesday's detection by the Customs of an illegal shipment of luxury vehicles in dismantled form is the latest in a series of similar detections made over the past several months and perhaps could be the tip of the iceberg of an organised racket denying the State of a colossal sum in duty revenue.

According to a news item in our inside pages yesterday Customs have seized four Sports Utility Vehicles shipped from Italy in dismantled form. The stock was fraudulently packed and loaded in a container declared as personal effects and consigned to an address in the Wennappuwa area.

There is a growing trend observed recently of importers not only of motor vehicles but other luxury goods too employing devious means to avoid paying the high duty levy imposed on such items. Not very long ago the media reported how a well known business tycoon had his premises raided by Customs officers following information that he had resorted to under invoicing of goods imported.

That was the end of the matter and the public is still unaware what became of the investigations or whether punitive action if any was taken. It is this soft pedalling that has opened the doors for the impunity displayed by various racketeers to take chances with the law. What is required is stringent enforcement of the law without fear or favour.

Today in the prevailing high octane commercial environment some entrepreneurs have developed various strategies to cock a snook at the prevailing laws and regulations and outsmart the State so much so some of them have cultivated this to a fine art. This of course is to be expected when one observes the stealth and craftiness employed in almost all fields of activity.

Since the advent of the open economy and the exposure of the country to international trade, turning a hitherto dormant commercial sector virtually on its head the Customs have became the nerve centre of the country's economic landscape and has been the State's main revenue collector in a larger sense.

Thus it is incumbent that this vital arm of the State is provided with all the resources and facilities to obtain the optimum results in revenue collection. The hands of its officers should not be tied by exerting political influence to bypass infringements. The ultimate loser will be the State. It should function as an independent and autonomous body to go after the thieves.

Many laws and regulations had been drafted with many an amendment made to the Customs Ordinance to meet new and emerging challenges. But it appears that the country is still losing a large amount in duty levies as a result of the crafty enterprise of certain big time businessmen to dare the State.

There have been many accounts of arrests made and the suspects fined double or treble of the value of goods detected. But the State continues to be swindled as Tuesday's detection demonstrates.

It is time therefore that the authorities make an honest reappraisal of the present Customs laws and devise a foolproof system to plug in the holes and ensure the country receives all its due revenue while reining in the racketeers.

Software piracy

We welcome the action by the Colombo Crime Division with the assistance of representatives of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), to conduct criminal raids against distributors of illegal business software in Colombo.

Three outlets in Majestic City were raided and 412 illegal software CDs were seized by the Police during the raid.

While this is certainly a welcome step, why not extend the raids to counterfeit DVD/VCD shops all over the country ? Ironically, these very same shops raided for software piracy engage in this business too. That the police ignored this aspect is rather baffling, because piracy of intellectually property too should not be tolerated.

Sri Lanka, along with Malaysia and China, has become a hotbed for piracy. The latest Hollywood and Bollywood movies are available on DVD for as little as Rs.120 on sidewalk stalls, which is a crime by any means. Sinhala films and Sinhala MP3 CDs are also available freely at these illegal outlets. And if you think that such stores are confined to the pavements, just enter any shopping mall in the City and visit the DVD shops, where pirated copies go for as little as Rs.200 with plastic cover.

Customs and law enforcement authorities should maintain vigilance to intercept stocks of pirated DVDs and CDs entering the country.

In a novel initiative, Malaysia has deployed so-called DVD dogs to catch DVD smugglers. Such steps, though seemingly extreme, should be taken to end the menace of piracy.

May 10 Red Letter Day for East

On May 10 all eyes would be on the crucial Provincial Council Election in the East, which is of both political and historical importance to Sri Lanka due to a variety of reasons. The election in itself is a unique one as it is the first occasion that such a poll is being held for the de-merged East with the first and final PC poll taking place way back in 1988 for the merged North east Province.

Full Story

A UPFA/TMVP victory - best option for the East

After the Government Security forces succeeded in re-capturing the area in the Eastern Province previously held by the LTTE, the Government of Sri Lanka has launched many a development programme in order to improve the condition of living of the people in the province.

Full Story

Iranian President's landmark South Asian tour

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a two-day state visit from April 28 to Sri Lanka on an invitation from President Mahinda Rajapaksa. This was the Iranian President's first visit to Sri Lanka. President Rajapaksa visited Teheran last November. Iran Minister of Economics & Finance Davood Danesh-Jafari already was in Colombo on January 15-17 to pave way for Ahmedinejad's visit and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Full Story

 

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