AT the end of the second quarter (April – September) of the fiscal year 2018/19, the Jamaica Customs Agency’s (JCA) revenue out-turn stood at $111.316 billion, approximately 1.7 per cent or $1.843 billion above the targeted collection of $109.472 billion, and 10 per cent or $9.709 billion over the previous year’s collection of $101.607 billion. In the last fiscal year, Customs successfully collected $207.848 billion, surpassing the target by $0.075 billion or 0.04 per cent.

The JCA says it has sought ways to improve its overall efficiency as a public sector entity and has invested resources in several areas within the agency, in order to improve its business and operational processes and border protection capabilities with the goal of achieving greater compliance in all areas.

An executive agency since 2013, the JCA says it prides itself in being the second largest revenue collector for the Government, and continues to play its part in keeping the economic wheels of Jamaica turning.

Currently, the JCA contributes approximately 38 per cent of the Government’s tax revenue.

“The JCA stands firmly on its motto, ‘Country above self’, and its core values of customer-centricity, accountability, professionalism, integrity and transparency, and remains committed to its mandates of facilitating trade, protecting Jamaica’s borders and collecting revenue on behalf of the Government of Jamaica,” the agency said in a news release.

It said the JCA also recognises that enhancing compliance is critical to protecting the nation’s purse and has instituted several mechanisms in support of this, to include improving its ICT capabilities (ASYCUDA World), allowing for greater accountability and transparency; expanding its trade facilitation initiatives; strengthening its internal assurance mechanisms in all areas of governance; and transforming the agency’s legislative framework as it pertains to the repealing and replacement of the Customs Act.

“Jamaica operates in a global space and must remain competitive in order that the country can continue to improve its performance ranking regionally and internationally. Therefore implementing initiatives that are geared towards effective trade facilitation continues to be a major thrust for the JCA. The agency is cognisant of the need for the ease of flow of goods and passengers at the country’s borders which will result in a reduction of processing time and associated costs,” it added.

The JCA will benefit from the implementation of an Electronic Single Window (ESW) which will allow for the single submission of information by traders via an electronic gateway to all trade-related and cross-border government agencies, instead of submitting the same information multiple times to different government agencies. The ESW project started on August 2, 2018 and is expected to be completed within 36 months.

In addition, the JCA has been undertaking several initiatives to reduce the clearance time for goods and passengers, some of which include collaboration with border regulatory agencies, ports and warehouse keepers in improving efficiencies at the port; implementation of an express cargo clearance process which is a simplified process for clearing small personal shipments from the ports and public bonded facilities; sensitisation sessions to the private sector on the benefits of the authorised economic operator programme which is geared towards compliant traders; and expansion of the “Nothing to Declare” channels at the Norman Manley International Airport to allow for the speedier flow of passengers.