Transit goods haulage trucks estimated to be over 1,000 are stranded in the border town of Nimule in Eastern Equatoria State over the newly instituted electronic tracking fees.
According to customs officials, importers have complained about the newly introduced USD 350 per truck for electronic cargo tracking.
The Acting Assistant Commissioner of Customs in Nimule, Col. Arop Kuol confirmed to Radio Tamazuj on Sunday night that over 1,000 trucks are stranded after introducing the new fees. He said traders complained about the charges and parked their trucks.
“People who were benefiting are not happy about this issue (tracking fees) and they are the ones resisting and not complying that is why you can see many trucks parked here at the border. Everything has stopped here at the border and roughly, we have over 1,000 trucks stranded here,” he explained. “It is not a tax but a fee for a tracking device because we did not increase any tax. The USD 350 fee is for the (tracking) device per truck and we are currently engaging the business community through clearing agents that they need to comply.”
For his part, Deng Daniel, a clearing agent at Nimule border point, confirmed that there is a congestion of trucks at the checkpoint and appealed to the government to intervene and reduce the new tracking fee to allow the flow of trucks in and out of the country
“When this electronic system was introduced, some of the traders were not ready for the new policy of electronic tracking to check goods at USD 350,” he clarified. “Some traders are not adhering to this new policy and this has decreased the rate at which trucks are released daily. There is an outcry by the public and traders and they want the fees reduced.”
Efforts by this publication to contact some of the affected importers were futile.
Observers contend that the impasse over the tracking fees will exacerbate the skyrocketing commodity prices nationwide.