Published On:Wednesday, October 06, 2010
By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
An import/freight company serving Abaco yesterday told Tribune Business it was "at its wits end" and virtually "unable to continue in business" do to the frequent procedure and duty rate changes imposed by Bahamas Customs, despite paying some $818,347 in revenues to the Government on behalf of its Bahamian clients.
Tamese Knowles, proprietor/owner of IE Imports, which has an office in Marsh Harbour and ships to Abaco from West Palm Beach, expressed her "frustration" to Tribune Business yesterday, explaining that she was still awaiting a $4,300 refund from Customs of overpaid duties, despite having submitted all the relevant paperwork to it some two months ago. She added that the Department had recently dropped its demand for her company to post an unnecessary $5,000 bond with it.
"I'm really, really frustrated with Bahamas Customs," Ms Knowles told Tribune Business, explaining that one of her issues was the fact that different Customs officers quoted her different duty rates for the same item.
She had just experienced another episode of this over a dietary supplement she had imported into Abaco on behalf of a client. One Customs officer had quoted a 45 per cent duty rate for the product, but another had told her it attracted a 0 per cent tariff rate.
"How are we supposed to run a business?" she asked Tribune Business. "I'm at my wits end. I'm someone trying to bring economic benefits to the island, and you can see what I've paid into Abaco. I've been doing business for four years, paying all duty due to Customs, bringing goods in on time for customers. I'm offering a service and living up to my end of the bargain, but Customs are not living up to their end of the bargain......
"Every week something changes. I comply, but I cannot continue in business like this, because every week something's different - a different duty rate, or a new law is put in place. It's one Bahamas, one Customs Department; everything should be the same."
Ms Knowles said IE Imports, which currently flew import shipments into Abaco once per week, used to bring in 7,000-10,000 pound worth of goods pre-recession.
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