Dubai Customs recovers Dhs52m over the past 7 months

The results are expected to reach its ever highest level by year end.

Mohammed Matter Al Mari, the Executive Director of Cargo Operations emphasized the role being played by Audit Department in enhancing customs compliance and fulfilling the common customs law requirements relative to audit operations that favorably affecting Dubai Customs total revenue and protecting trade.

"The Audit Department successfully recovered considerable amounts during the first half of 2008 as compared to the same period of last year. The amounts to be recovered are expected to greatly jump by the end of the current year,"

said Al Mari.

"The amounts being recovered as a result of transactional short collection for the past seven months ending in 31 July 2008 accounted for over Dhs52m as compared to Dhs39.5m during the same period of last year. The amounts recovered over 2005, 2006 and 2007 accounted for Dhs58m, 43 and 34 respectively," he added.

The Audit Department assumes claiming such short collection and follow-up their collections.

In collaboration with other relative Departments, Audit Department identifies and follows-up cases of commercial frauds and smuggling operations.

In doing so, the Department has referred over 32,000 cases to Customs Valuation and Tariff Departments during the past 7 months ending in 31 July 2008 as compared to almost 26,000 cases in 2007, 22,000 cases in 2006 and 12,000 cases only in 2005.

Audit Department has a mechanism for consistently monitoring clients' transactions including identification and analysis of risks thereof as well as ascertaining compliance with cargo export and import rules and regulations.

The Department verifies that importers submit proper declarations and stick to transparency when interacting with Customs. It also submits clients' suggestions and complaints to the concerned Departments in a manner that simplifies customs procedures.