An Indian firm, Deekay and Sons (NIG) Limited has been cheating the federal government of Nigeria an estimated N300 million every month, Daily Independent reports.Import manifests shows that the company, which is an importer of all types of finished goods into Nigeria, use classification of imports to short pay government duty and levies.
It imports finished products, especially ceiling boards and declare it in freight manifest as shuttering for concrete constructional work, deliberately coined to avoid payment of levy and appropriate Customs duty. While ceiling boards attract 30 percent duty and levy, concrete constructional work will be charged at five percent.
For instance, Deekay imported through a ship, WORLD SIRIUS with Voyage number IIV, a Bill of Lading No. N284005CNLYGNGLOS08, a total of 500 pallets of ceiling boards declared as Shuttering for concrete constructional work. They were broken down into 84 pallets with gross weight of 121,627kg; 100 pallets with 130,000kg; another 100 pallets with 130,000kg weight, and 220 pallets weighing 330,800kg.
Although the Apapa Area One Command of the Nigeria Customs Service often slams Deekay and Sons Limted with DEBIT NOTE (DN) due to underpayments and wrong classification, the fees are described as ridiculously low DN compared to the gravity of the offence that is even supposed to attract outright seizure in line with the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA).
"We issued the company a DN of N3.6 million this year; we also issued another N2.73 million DN to the same company this year, and others like that. In some instances they paid duty and did not pay levy,” an official said.
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