Everest Times
BIRGUNJ, Jan 1: Customs revenue has been badly affected due to coronavirus-related lockdown and prolonged closure of Nepal-India border.
According to the Birgunj Customs Office, vehicles import mostly halted and did not enter Nepal as expected.
According to customs officer Shailendra Adhikari, the revenue collected in the five months of current fiscal year 2020/21 till mid-December is Rs 3.29 billion. Revenue from vehicle import in the same period in the last fiscal year was Rs 4.12 billion.
In the corresponding period of the previous year, 4,251 different types of vehicles worth Rs. 4.12 billion were imported.
According to the customs official, 80 percent vehicles enter from India and 20 percent from third countries through this checkpoint, but the border has been closed for a long time due to corona infection.
Even now, about 300 vehicles are stuck in the customs ward as the importers are unable to take the vehicles imported from India and third countries.
The customs department has set a target of raising Rs. 171 billion in revenue for the current fiscal year. The Birgunj Customs has been able to collect only Rs. 58.15 billion in the stipulated period, which is 11 percent less than the target of Rs. 65.25 billion.
