You probably didn't know that the Belize Customs Department is the first in the Caribbean where an importer can pay his or her duties online. And, also, that Belize was one of the first nations to adapt to the new global Trade Facilitation Agreement.
It's part of a full-fledged modernization of the department that's seeing a major shift in service delivery strategies, where Customs is now thinking about how it can facilitate trade, rather than just acting as government's top revenue collector, with all the bureaucracy that implies.
Today, with assistance from the World Customs Organization, they held a training session for the National Committee on Trade Facilitation. We found out more from the visiting World Customs Expert who had praise for the Customs Department's new Trade Unit:...
Hermie George, World Customs Organization
"The trade facilitation agreement just entered into force on 22nd February this year and Belize then already established on the 23rd February which is very impressive. The national committee and trade facilitation 0- this committee in terms of this agreement must be established and it must facilitate and coordinate the implementation of this agreement."
Estelle Leslie, Deputy Comptroller of Customs
"We are supposed to be the driving force to implement the trade facilitation agreement. But we cant do that without our stakeholders. So this workshop is to engage our stakeholders to let them know what we need to accomplish and to get buy-in from them. It also will assist us, the committee to have other meetings with our stakeholders in teaching us how to engage our stakeholders."
John Nembhard, Assistant Comptroller of Customs
"At the end of the day, the person who would benefit is the trader and ultimately the country. As long as you facilitate trade you make it easier for them that there are no barriers, there are no excessive hurdles that a person has to cross when he comes into the country. So we try to remove those barriers."
"The end result as I said is that our revenues are increase. People do not see the increase of revenue through trade facilitation, but that is the ultimate benefit for our country that your revenues are increased, your enforcement is enhanced and your customers like the comptroller said are satisfied."
Hermie George
"The main purpose of this agreement is to expedite the clearance of goods including goods in transit. So if you look at all these provisions you will see that all of that is actually going towards - we need to facilitate trade."
Estelle Leslie
"When Customs is giving you your shipment very quickly cost is reduced and people will tell you time is money. So if we decrease the time that your container tied up then that cost is lessen. So you can give that lower cost to the consumer."
John Nembhard
"I have been here for a long time, so my thing was always catching, catching, catching. It does not necessarily means we need to let go of certain things. There is no longer 100% examination of a container and stuff like that. We have systems in place which has eliminated the need for a 100% examination. Yes there would be, not necessarily leakage, but whatever you would say passes, we can afford because what becomes compliant then results in the bigger picture for us."
Therese Martinez, Customs and Excise Clerk 1
"With the trade facilitation being signed by Belize and the entry into force, my role is also to be a part of committee and trade facilitation to also provide an input on the way forward in establishing baseline for the roadmap for Belize."
The three day workshop is funded by the Swedish government.
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