By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (AMCHAM T&T) is welcoming the announcement by the Customs and Excise Division that customers can now make payments electronically.
The option is initially being offered at Piarco and Customs’ House.
In a release AMCHAM T&T stated while it may seem like a small step, the initiative has the potential to cut bureaucracy and reduce friction in the facilitation of trade.
It represents important progress toward the digitalisation and modernisation of Customs operations, something for which AMCHAM T&T has consistently advocated to improve efficiency, transparency, and the overall ease of doing business in Trinidad and Tobago, the Chamber stated.
By reducing reliance on cash transactions, businesses will benefit from faster processing times, fewer administrative delays, less avenues for corruption and a smoother overall trade facilitation experience.
Chief Executive Officer of AMCHAM T&T Nirad Tewarie said, “This is a positive and practical step toward improving service delivery and enhancing the ease of doing business. AMCHAM T&T has long called for the digital transformation of Customs processes to help reduce backlogs and improve efficiency.
“In the past couple of months, we have seen a refreshingly new approach by Customs when it comes to trade facilitation, which is one of their three core functions.”
On Friday, the Customs & Excise Division (C&ED) of the Ministry of Finance announced its official launch of its Point of Sale (POS) Debit Card (Linx) payment system.
The system allows customers to make secure, convenient payments directly at customs offices across Trinidad and Tobago.
The Ministry of Finance via media release stated, “The initiative represents a major step in the Division’s ongoing efforts to modernise its operations, enhance customer service, and strengthen the ease of doing business nationwide. The Linx payment option provides both commercial and non-commercial stakeholders with faster, safer and more efficient payment services.”
Commercial clients including importers, brokers and shipping agents will benefit from reduced transaction times, improved transparency and simplified account reconciliation, the ministry stated.
The ministry stated the introduction of the new system demonstrated the C&ED commitment to providing efficient, customer-focused and transparent service to all stakeholders.
And work was also being done to expand services to include credit card and online payment options in the near future.
Tewarie said, “We applaud Comptroller Riad Juman and his team as well as the Ministry of Finance and the team at the National Payments Company for making this a reality.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with the Customs and Excise Division to build a fully digital, efficient, and transparent system that strengthens trade facilitation and supports economic growth while protecting our borders and enhancing the Government’s revenue collection capacity.”
“We look forward to this being rolled out at all ports and Customs facilities and to even more payment options being added as time goes by,” he added.
