2merkato

The Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority is to introduce a new advanced commodity valuation system which is expected to assist with ensuring a fair customs tax system it was announced at a discussion organized by the authority.

The authority introduced the new web based customs valuation database in exchange for the previous CD based valuation system as of last week.

It is expected that the new software will resolve issues with the previous system and enable the Ethiopian customs valuation system to meet the standards set by the World Trade Organization. The new database was installed by Indian company Center for Development of Advanced Computing.

The Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority is to launch a toll free call center worth 3.4 million birr to be based in the authority’s headquarters.

The call center is expected to transform the process of tax collection and administration. The call center installed by Tanzanian Techno Brian will be able to entertain 30 calls at the same time.

The authority has trained a dozen people, each specializing in specific tax issues to answer inquiries raised by tax payers who call in.

The Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority is to release goods congesting dry ports around the country to importers who provide payment guarantee from their banks to help alleviate congestion.

The Ethiopian Shipping and Logistic Service Enterprise will provisionally cover the demurrage and storage cost estimated at about 400 million birr according to sources.

The authority currently has more than 2 billion birr that it expects to earn from customs tied up in imports stockpiled at the dry ports. The congesting has also been helped by the ELSE’s limited capacity to process the goods and because importers have been unable to meet the financial demands said the sources.

Ericsson, Swedish telecom giant, is expected to deliver most of the 3G networking project it has been installing for last ten month in southern part of Ethiopia by the end of 2015, according to The Reporter.

Access Real Estate founder and chairman, Ermias Amelga, returned back to Ethiopia exactly after two years on Thursday, February 19, 2015.