Border clearance processes by customs and other agencies are among
the most important and problematic links in the global supply chain. It
takes three times as many days, nearly twice as many documents, and six
times as many signatures to import goods in poor countries than it does
in rich ones. Delays and costs at the border undermine a
country’s competitiveness, either by taxing imported inputs with
deadweight inefficiencies or by adding costs and reducing the
competitiveness of exports.
As countries have come to realize the importance of trade in
achieving sustainable economic growth they have progressively lowered
tariffs, established regimes to encourage foreign investment and
pursued opportunities for greater regional integration. This progress
has, however, been undermined by the high costs and administrative
difficulties associated with outdated and excessively bureaucratic
border clearance processes which are now often cited as more important
barriers to trade than tariffs. Inefficient border processing systems,
procedures, and infrastructure result in high transaction costs, long
delays in the clearance of imports, exports, and transit goods, and
present significant opportunities for administrative corruption. They
essentially undermine a country’s competitiveness in the
international marketplace.
Governments around the world are therefore placing increased
emphasis on border management reform designed to remove unnecessary
barriers to the flow of legitimate trade across their borders. However,
in spite of the widespread recognition of the need to improve the
efficiency of border management regimes, Customs and other border
management agencies in many countries have frequently paid lip service
to the trade facilitation agenda.
This book is designed to shed new light on these problems and to
identify a range of strategies that will help officials meet their
traditional control responsibilities while at the same time
facilitating legitimate trade. It also provides advice to development
professional and key policy makers about what works, what doesn’t
and why.
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