The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has threatened to impound any private jet whose owner hides under some technicalities to continuously fail to pay the right duties to the authorities.
The Service complained that 30 out of 65 private airplanes verified so far are liable to pay required duties to the Federal Government but have so far not done so.
The Public Relations Officer of the Customs, Joseph Attah, in a chat with newsmen in Abuja today, August 1, said that some of these airplanes came into the country by Temporary Importation agreement which allows them to bring the jets without payment because it is secured by bond, adding that thereafter, many of them failed to turn up to pay on the expiration of the agreement which necessitated the verification.
He said that with this exercise, there would be more revenue to be accrued to the Federal Government because those who fail to adhere to the agreement would be made to pay the duties.
The spokesperson said that the verification had also given opportunity to the service to clearly differentiate those airplanes in the country that are on commercial operations from those owned and used for private purposes.
Attah stressed that the verification is not meant to embarrass anybody but to ensure that the right or required duties are paid to the government by the owners of these private airplanes, saying that with the impact of the first two weeks extension, the service had again given another two weeks which expires on Friday, August 6. “Considering the rising number of compliance and the number of jets that are liable for payment of duties as well as indications by those people to do so, the Comptroller-General has again graciously given them another two weeks.
“The exercise as I stated in our previous briefings, is not intended to be punitive or to embarrass them but to ensure that these private jets that operate in the country are properly documented. And also, to ensure every collectable revenue is collected into the coffers of the Federal Government. As you all know the case of increasing economic challenge, every source of revenue is important to the government and beyond that, for security purpose. With this, you can now tie proper ownership to every aircraft or private jet that flies into and out of the country. Through the exercise, we have been able to know those hiding under temporary importation agreement. “We are aware that owners of private jets are highly placed Nigerians who should be respected and approached in a manner that provides all necessary convenience and that is what these extensions stands for,” he explained. According to him, this will be the last extension because whoever fails to turn up for the verification will have his aircraft impounded.”
