Customs on reckless course to boost revenue sans timely facilitation: CHA sources

Monday, 9 November 2026 04:35 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

There is growing concern among Customs House Agents (CHA) that Sri Lanka Customs is collecting revenue in advance without ensuring that the necessary clearance procedures, systems and facilities are ready to provide timely service. This is an important point to raise, particularly when Customs is promoting digitalisation and paperless operations.

Sri Lanka Customs should not be focusing solely on collecting Government revenue in advance without first ensuring that the necessary procedures, systems and facilities are in place to provide an efficient and timely clearance process.

“Unfortunately, we feel we are gradually going backwards to the old golden-era practices, where documents had to be physically carried in boxes and submitted to the Long Room for amendments and other formalities. This is totally unacceptable in an era when we are talking about digital transformation, online amendments, paperless processing, cashless payments, faceless operations and minimum physical interaction with Government officers,” CHA sources said.

“We are repeatedly promoting the concept of digitalisation and modern Customs administration. But what is the actual benefit if importers, exporters and Customs House Agents still have to physically visit offices, carry documents, wait for amendments and spend valuable time following up on routine procedures?,” they added.

It was stressed that digitalisation should not simply mean collecting payments online. It must mean delivering services online as well.

The priority should be to establish a properly functioning system where payments, amendments, approvals and cargo-clearance procedures are efficiently integrated.

Revenue collection and trade facilitation must go hand in hand. The private sector should not be made to bear additional costs, delays and operational difficulties because of shortcomings in the administrative process.

“We need a genuinely paperless, people-less and faceless Customs environment, where technology works for the benefit of both the Government and the trading community. The question is simple: Are we genuinely moving towards digitalisation, or are we merely changing the payment method while continuing the same old manual procedures?,” CHA sources said.

In that context this issue deserves serious attention from the relevant authorities.

“Digital payment alone is not digitalisation. The entire clearance process, from payment to final release, must be digitally integrated,” CHA sources stressed.