ASYCUDA++ IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE Ó UNCTAD - SITE (V1.15) B.8 Understanding of Customs Requirements Customs, irrespective of country or geographical region, share many common interests and concerns. Worldwide Customs administrations are under ever increasing pressure to be seen to be more efficient and to provide better levels of service. These ‘service’ demands may be coming from government, (for direct improvement such as higher revenue collections), but frequently this increasing pressure is coming from the trade. Importers and exporters, transport industries and other traders are looking for better service in the form of faster delivery from Customs control and more consistency, with reduced costs to allow them to remain internationally competitive. Customs Concerns In  the  business  of  Customs,  administrations  perceive  that  they  face  many  risks.  These  concerns can be broadly grouped as follows: ·     Loss of control - failure to detect and prevent import or export of controlled or prohibited goods; ·     Revenue issues – Failure to collect the correct Customs duties or taxes payable on goods; ·     Fraud; and ·     Inaccurate, incomplete or non-existent trade data. Customs administrations often see these problems as caused by  “too many imports and exports, not   enough   Customs   staff”,   caused   by   increasing   international   movements   of   goods   and passengers, and improved international communications and transport. These all reduce the time available to Customs to process goods and documents and thus reduce the   tolerance   of   traders   to   administrative   delays.   A   first   reaction   is   to   expand   the   Customs workforce.  This  can  provide  some  short-term  relief,  but  in  practice  may  increase  and  perpetuate existing inefficiencies. Eventually,  faced  with  the  prospect  that  it  is  a  practical  impossibility  to  effectively  look  at  every document, consignment or passenger, Customs must look to new methods and procedures for a solution. Modern Customs Practices Around  the  world  many  Customs  administrations  have  faced  these  problems  and  have  found solutions   -   some   being   more   successful   than   others.   The   simplification   of   documents,   the automation of processes with the increased use of computers to perform routine calculations and collate data provide only part of the answer to many of these Customs problems. Increasingly, Customs are relying on a mix of relatively new skills to achieve their objectives. Using the accumulated pool of Customs knowledge within existing Customs staff, in conjunction with new technology,  Customs  can  target  that  proportion  of  import  or  export  transactions  which  have  been rationally  identified  as  of  particular  interest  or  concern.  This  targeting,  or  use  of  a  system  called ‘Selectivity’,  in  conjunction  with  a  scheme  that  incorporates  a  trader  education  program  and  a system of  penalising infractions of Customs legislation, has been found to be very effective. Customs Advisors UNCTAD and the World Customs  Organisation recognise that efficiencies can be gained through the introduction of revised Customs procedures that compliment the gains of  the implementation of ASYCUDA++   within   a   country.   For   this   reason   each   ASYCUDA   project   includes   within   the Implementation   team   an   UNCTAD   provided   ‘Customs   Advisor’.   These   advisors   come   from Customs  administrations  practiced  in  using  technology  as  a  working  tool  and  where  they  have gained    broad    experience    in    Customs    management    and    modern    Customs    concepts    and procedures.