Government is on the verge of introducing an electronic single-window that’s expected to help lower the cost of living for Barbadian consumers.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn said on Wednesday that this facility would result in greater efficiency within the Customs and Excise Department in getting landed goods to consumers quicker and in a more cost-effective manner.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the annual conference of the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC) at the Hilton Barbados Resort this morning, Straughn said this window will make the end-to-end process of imported items as automated as possible.
“All of this will mean that for the average citizen, it should be faster to get their items cleared through the customs process. But that can only be assured, if the information that is provided, the data that is provided, are accurate for, not just data to be captured, but the analysis to be done ahead of time with respect to the pre-clearance processes,” the minister stated
“I am absolutely clear that in an environment where you have seen significant disruption in the global supply chain, the logistical issues that we are experiencing, it is absolutely important that at this critical time, that the small things that each of us can do to help reduce those clearance times, means that our citizens will see a reduction in costs associated with what would potentially be passed onto them,” Straughn assured.
He said it was therefore important from a real and practical perspective that the development of the data culture be spread beyond the Customs Department, to include other government agencies.
“The data culture also has very critically, a facilitation role, because as much as we want to facilitate importation of items, we want as a region to start to export and pool our resources more in order to build greater stable economies,” the minister argued.
For this reason, he suggested, it is critical that customs departments work across borders to share data in a timely manner to achieve the objectives. Making reference to the trading partnership between Barbados, Guyana and Suriname to boost agriculture and food security in general, Minister Straughn urged regional customs agencies to put measures in place to ensure the exchange of goods works proficiently.
“Make sure that as we put this together, that the appropriate certificate and certification, all that information-sharing is done ahead of time, to allow these things to become a practical reality, which will lower, not just the imports by 20, 25 per cent to the region, but impact the cost of living to the Caribbean,” he declared. Straughn said these are practical things Barbados will be embarking on over the next “few” years to build those data and information-sharing systems and turning them into intelligence that benefits consumers here and around the Caribbean.
“That means our consumers in the region, our business community within the region would understand more and in a much better way, how to move things around the region such that we can close those gaps that exist,” the minister contended.
He expects the goal of cutting imports by upwards of 25 per cent in the next three years can be achieved once regional customs agencies cooperate in putting the appropriate measures in place and treating revenue collection, border security and business facilitation as critical elements in the process.
Chairman of the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council Herby Nelson said safety and security at the borders depend highly on the way customs agencies deal with data.
“As a first line of defence of countries, customs administration should necessarily act in the modern data environment,” Nelson argued. “So high responsibility should be taken in all its dimensions. Any mistake may not be acceptable when the life of people, national security depend on it,” he cautioned.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
