Finance minister calls for easing customs process

AMMAN — Finance Minister Ezzeddine Kanakrieh on Thursday highlighted the importance of presenting all customs facilities necessary to stimulate the investment environment.

Heading a meeting for directors of customs departments and centres, in the presence of Jordan Customs Department (JCD) Director General Maj. Gen. Abdelmajid Rahamneh, Kanakrieh called for facilitating the movement of goods and passengers through border crossings, according to a Finance Ministry statement. 

The minister also urged curbing smuggling and illegal trade so as to enhance and protect the national economy.

He directed the JCD to examine and consider hanging customs cases with investors and constantly evaluate them with the relevant monitoring institutions, so as to identify the shortcomings and address them quickly. 

Kanakrieh called for improving the customs procedures without neglecting the monitoring role, praising the efforts of the JCD that works round the clock to serve the business sector and national economy. 

The minister also highlighted the importance of keeping pace with technological developments and adopting high-level organisational rules that can help save time and effort while doing e-commerce. 

For his part, Rahamneh expressed appreciation for holding such meetings that aim at supporting the department’s efforts and developing work procedures.

At the end of the meeting, Kanakrieh expressed his gratitude for Rahamneh and all JCD personnel, urging them for more efforts to further develop the customs work and build on previous achievements. 

The Cabinet on Wednesday backtracked on a decision requiring online shoppers to submit an application through JCD’s e-platform before proceeding with their purchases, designating the condition as a responsibility of express shipping companies instead.

Earlier this month, the Cabinet made a decision under which online shoppers would have to visit www.customs.gov.jo to fill in the necessary data, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Under the decision, online shoppers would have also had to use their names to authorise the entry of the purchased products for personal use, paying JD5 for each order up to JD50 and JD10 for each order between JD50 and JD100, without exceeding the annual cap. 

The Cabinet’s earlier decision also slashed the annual cap on customs-exempt online-bought clothes, shoes, foodstuffs and children's toys from JD2,400 to JD500.