Duty on old vehicles: Customs beats retreat, announces modification

The Nigeria Customs Service appeared to have beat a retreat on its proposed payment of duties on old vehicles.
Rather than its position that all vehicles that did not pay appropriate duties must do so with a rebate, the Service, according to a report by reputable THISDAY newspaper, has said not all vehicles will be subjected to the new payment.
According to THISDAY, the spokesman of the NCS, Joseph Attah, said in an interview that the policy was being “misconstrued, misinterpreted and has been blown out of proportion”.
The new position of the NCS is coming on the heels of the opposition of Nigerians to the move, especially after the Senate summoned the Controller General of the NCS, retired Colonel Hameed Ali, and the and the threat of a lawsuit by Nigerians and the Vehicle Owners Association of Nigeria.
Attah told THISDAY that the policy was not targeted at car owners.
The Service also said it never contemplated taking any measure to force compliance.
The NCS said
Attah told THISDAY on the phone on Monday that it was regrettable the policy had been misconstrued, misinterpreted and blown out of proportion.
He also said that the threat by VOAN to take legal action against the Customs Service if it did not reverse the policy was uncalled for.
Attah stressed that at no time was the policy targeted at car owners.
According to Attah, there was nothing special about the policy to generate any kind of unnecessary hysteria from some quarters, adding that members of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria were the ones who approached the NCS seeking to be allowed a period of grace to pay duties on uncustomised cars.
He stated that there was nothing new about the policy, except that motor dealers were asked to use the period to pay for unpaid duties on vehicles.
On compliance with the policy, for which the grace period commenced Monday, Attah asked for a few days to get feedback from the four zonal centres designated as duty collection centres.
The four zonal offices of the NCS are: Zone A Headquarters, 1, Harvey Road, Yaba, Lagos; Zone B Headquarters, Kabala Doki, Kaduna; Zone C Headquarters, Nigeria Ports Authority, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; and Zone D Headquarters, Yelwa Tudu Road, Bauchi State.