State Customs Committee’s revenues exceed forecasts

By Azernews

By Rasana Gasimova

Revenues transferred to the state budget through the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee in November 2019 exceeded the forecasted amount, the committee’s chairman Safar Mehdiyev said on November 26, at a press conference dedicated to the committee’s work in the first 10 months of 2019.

“The forecast for state budget revenues in the amount of over 3.7 billion manats ($2.2 billion) was fulfilled on November 5 and 700 million manats ($412 million) are expected to be additionally transferred till the end of the year, bringing the total collection of revenues to up to 4.4 billion manats ($2.6 billion),” Mehdiyev said.

The committee chairman also said that in January-October 2019, over 3.6 billion manats ($2.1 billion) was transferred to the state budget through the State Customs Committee (an increase of 20.5 percent for the year), including customs duties worth 909.3 million manats ($535.9 million) - an increase of 21.5 percent, and value added tax worth 2.5 billion manats ($1.5 billion) - an increase of 46.5 percent, excise taxes worth 217.3 million manats ($128 million) - an increase of 14.2 percent and road tax worth 36,614 manats ($21,852) - an increase of 22.4 percent.

Furthermore, Mehdiyev spoke about the work done in the first 10 months of this year, the reforms, new projects and the future goals. He said that the strategy of sustainable economic development, which was founded by national leader Heydar Aliyev, diversified through innovative reforms implemented by President Ilham Aliyev and helped to achieve successful results in all areas, including customs.

He noted that the border crossing procedures were carried out easily and quickly due to the implemented reforms, modern equipment installed at the customs checkpoints and improved management system, as well as increased capacity of the customs posts at the border area.

Mehdiyev reminded that the introduction of high technologies in Azerbaijan’s transit and logistics system, in particular, solved the problems related to high density of passage at checkpoints. If previously 200 trucks a day passed through the checkpoint, now this figure is 650.

He also said that about 3.5 million e-services were provided by the committee over the first 10 months of this year, noting that the use of information technologies has reduced the contact between the civil servants and the citizens in the customs system, and the next target is to completely obviate this contact.

Touching upon transparency and elimination of shadow economy, Mehdiyev spoke about the steps taken to ensure proper accounting. He said that a common risk platform has been created and important progress has been made to prevent avoiding customs duties and smuggling.

Mehdiyev also spoke the Green Corridor gating system, noting that 297 import operations participants and 193 export operations participants have the right to use the Green Corridor.

Mehdiyev also informed that Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee will introduce a new concept of a single accounting system in the coming years. This project aims to completely eliminate contacts between customs officers and foreign economic activity participants.

On the same day, a meeting was held between the leadership of Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee and members of the Azerbaijan-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The topic of the meeting was “Reforms, business cooperation and prospects in the customs sphere”.

The Chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee, Lieutenant General of the Customs Service Safar Mehdiyev, his deputies, the heads of the main directorates, Ambassador of France to Azerbaijan Zacharie Gross, Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas, Chairperson of the Azerbaijan-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry Teyba Guliyeva and members of the chamber took part in the event.