Ethiopian Customs Commission Collects 103bln Birr Revenue

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Customs Commission (ECC) has collected over 103 billion Birr revenues in the first three quarters of the current fiscal year, its officials said.

The Commission, responsible to the Federal Ministry of Revenues, is tasked to administer and collect custom, excise duties and other taxes on import trade.

Its officials plan to secure at least 154 billion Birr during the current 2021/22FY, which started on July 8.

Commission said the nine-month revenue has increased by 22.8% as compared to the same months last year.

It has , however, secured 87.3% of the revenue target set for the period.

“We will increase our effort to attain the target and collect 51 billion birr in the remaining 3 months of the year,” said Commissioner Debele Kabeta, speaking during a review meeting late last week.

During the previous fiscal year, the Commission collected 112.5 billion Birr revenue, achieving 89.5% of its target.

Apart from Revenue collection, it is also tasked to combat smuggling through its branches located at different corners of the country.

In the past nine months, these branches intercepted different kinds of contraband goods valued at 3.5bln birr from smugglers, said Tegene Deresse, ECC’s intelligence directorate director.

The seized items include cars, khat, clothes, coffee, medicines, coffee, drugs, fuel, electronics, cosmetics, livestock, weapons, and foreign exchange, according to ECC’s reports.

The majority of them were captured while they were smuggled into the nation. Tegene put their total value at 3.1bln birr.

The remaining 398.7mln birr worth of goods were intercepted during attempts to smuggle them out of the country.