EAC ratifies single revenue collection point

By Luke Anami

Revenue for all five East African Community member states will be collected at the port of entry – Dar es Salaam and Mombasa ports.

The EAC Heads of State summit has also directed the High Level Task Force negotiating the Monetary Union to allow use of a single EAC currency to complete its work by early next year.

In a communiqué read by the EAC Secretary General, Richard Sezibera, at the just concluded EAC Heads of State Summit, the EAC has adopted the Single Customs Territory that will allow collection of revenue at the port of entry on behalf of other members.

“The summit noted that the adoption of a Single Customs Territory is ongoing. The summit reckoned that that the HLTF negotiating, a framework for the Monetary Union, which commenced in January 2011 has agreed on all the 77 articles in the draft. But there are outstanding matters in the  macro-economic framework, legal and institutional framework on which guidance is expected from the sectorial council on EAMU,” Dr Sezibera said yesterday during the 14th EAC Heads of State Summit held in Nairobi.

However, the EAC Heads of State directed that institutions and legal instruments to operationalize the Single Customs Territory must be put in place. These include, laws to allow the collection of revenue and remittances, the amount to be remitted per item and the technology necessary to implement the process.

The Heads of States, including the Chairman, President Yoweri Museveni, called for the conclusion of the Monetary Union protocol by April next year to be signed and approved during the forthcoming 15th summit to be held in November, in Kampala next year.

The EAC Heads of State also gave the Council of ministers mandate over the Common External Tariff and Rules of Origin. It reckons the rule be extended for a period of three years.