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By Kenneth Jukpor
As part of efforts to ease the fiscal cost for importation of medical instruments to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government has stopped the payment of Customs duties on imported medical instruments.
Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) revealed this in a letter addressed to Deputy Comptroller-Generals, Assistant Comptroller-Generals, Area Controllers and Heads of Units, titled; “Re: Fiscal Policy Measures On Health And Medical Supplies To Abate The Spread Of Covid-19 Pandemic In Nigeria”
According to the letter, the Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed directed the fiscal policy measures for facilitating the importation of COVID-L9 essential medical supplies, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Customs Organization (WCO).
The items on the list to be exempted from payment of import duty and Value-Added Tax (VAT) for a period of six (6) months from May 1, 2020 include COVID-19 test kit, instruments and apparatus used in diagnostic test, protective garments, gas masks, protective spectacles.
Others are; plastic gloves, surgical rubber gloves, thermometers, disinfectants, sterilization products, other medical devices such as Computed tomography (CT) scanners, medical ventilators, medical suction pumps and medical consumables including gauze, bandages, cotton sticks, needles, among others.
“All Controllers at all entry points are to ensure the expedited release of all the items listed in line with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). Additionally, All Controllers are to ensure that records of all COVID-19 related imports are kept in a spreadsheet/excel format and are to forward same to the Headquarters on a quarterly basis,” the report said.
