The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has again raised the exchange rate for calculating Customs duties at the nation’s seaports by 1.1 percent after a few days of stability.
The Customs duty rate was reviewed upwards from N1, 544.081/$ to N1, 560.511/$ on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, according to information on the official trade portal of the Nigeria Customs Service.
The current review by the apex bank represents a 1.1 percent increase in the Customs duty rate and an increase of N16.43 on each dollar needed to clear goods at the port compared to the old exchange of N1, 544.081/$.
With the hike in the Customs duty exchange rate, importers opening Form M today will pay more to clear their goods as import duties are benchmarked against the dollar.
Also, importers opening Form M today will do so at a higher rate compared to those who opened Form M on Tuesday, March 5, according to the apex bank’s new directive to Customs to use the rate on the date of submitting Form M for calculating import duties.
The exchange rate for clearing goods at the port has become a critical policy that has serious implications for international trade in the country.
Also, its stability impacts trade volume, prices, and investments and helps businesses to plan.
However, the present floating naira policy implemented by the apex bank since the economic reforms that started in June 2023, has resulted in further weakening of the naira and has also led to the fluctuation of the Customs duty rate.
Meanwhile, experts have condemned the act of allowing the Customs duty rate for cargo clearing to fluctuate due to its economic impact on businesses.
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