INFORMAL commercial importers (ICIs) will be allowed to use the old C79 form to clear goods imported between January 2 and 8, tax officials agreed yesterday at a meeting with representatives of the United Vendors’ Association at the finance ministry.

However, as of today, ICIs are required to use the C78 forms to clear goods which came in after yesterday’s date.

Commissioner of Customs Allison Moore and Tax Commissioner Clive Nicholas, who met with United Vendors’ Association, Dunstan Whittingham and Eric Clementine, along with attorney for the association, Antoinette Haughton-Cardenas, also agreed for Customs to add a new line at the ports to deal specifically with ICIs who will be submitting the new entry forms for goods under US$1,000.

However, several ICIs who waited for more than two hours for the outcome of yesterday’s meeting at the finance ministry at Heroes Circle in Kingston, were not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting.

“We still haven’t reached anywhere,” was the response from some of the vendors, who wanted the introduction of the new Customs form delayed.Some said they would not be clearing any goods from the wharves until the issue was ‘resolved’.

“We are not in any confrontation with the Ministry of Finance. We are appealing with Finance Minister Omar Davies to meet with us personally to discuss this critical issue as soon as possible,” said Whittingham.

He added: “As of today, we have come to a decision that ICIs will cease importing any goods into the island until the matter is cleared.” He gave the minister one week to meet with his association.

Haughton-Cardenas said the C78 forms were not user-friendly as the words are in fine print and presents some amount of difficulty for ICIs to fill them out.

“We need to meet with the minister urgently as this situation may develop into social disorder and this is what we want to avoid at all costs,” she said.

Charmaine Green, an ICI, said that the new entry forms would result in lengthy delays when clearing goods, as the information would be processed by computers which may result in the entire procedure taking three to four days.

“In the old system, we get our goods the same day, when we go to the wharf or airport to clear them. We can’t afford to wait an extra day or two for our goods as we need to promptly pay back our loans which we used to purchase the goods,” she told the Observer.