SAC Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win addresses meeting 3/2022 of Illegal Trade Eradication Steering Committee
NAY PYI TAW June 28
Illegal Trade Eradication Steering Committee held work coordination meeting 3/2022 at Ministry of Commerce in Nay Pyi Taw addressed by Chairman of the Committee State Administration Council Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win at 2 pm.
Present were Union Minister U Win Shein, deputy ministers, Nay Pyi Taw Council member, the Chairman of Tax Appeal Tribunal, permanent secretaries, directors general and officials. Officials from regions and states attended the meeting through video conferencing.
The Vice-Senior General said the present is the fourth meeting of steering committee, and members of illegal trade eradication special teams and OSS staff are now more skillful in their work.
The first Illegal Trade Eradication capacity-building had already been conducted. Multiplier courses had been conducted for special teams in regions and states. Such courses should be conducted continuously.
After the reformation of the steering committee, the estimated value of illegal goods seized during the period from January to May 2022 was Ks-21.771 billion, which was Ks-13.318 billion more in estimate value when compare with that of the entire previous year.
However, the estimated value of seizures in May was 3.633 billion which was Ks-1 billion less than the seizures in April 2022 which was Ks-5.233 billion in terms of estimated value.
There was a shortage of Ks-1 billion in the seizures of special teams of regions and states.
Moreover, Yangon International Port and Yaybu permanent inspection saw a decline of over Ks-0.721 billion in the estimated value of seizures.
Region/state special teams the Customs Department and departmental OSSs should make effective eradication efforts.
All possible means should be applied in curbing illegal trade on the trade routes of some regions and states. Regular surprise checks must be made on the possible sources of illegal trade, storages, trading and distribution centres.
The search of storages on the bank of Parchanriver and arrest made by Taninthayi Region special teams led by its chair in January 2022 is a good example. Awareness of individual safety, personal safety of an organization and machinery safety is required in search and arrest operations.
Systematic checks should be made on illegal goods as well as restricted goods. Responsible persons should made thorough checks to find out whether goods with similar trademarks, but are not legal ones, are included in the permitted goods.
Seized goods must be sold in accord with the procedures and revenues need to go to the State as it deserves. Loss of the seized goods before auction will be nonsense to those who confiscated them, and the State revenues will decrease as well.
So, seized perishable goods must be auctioned as quickly as possible in accord with the procedure. Moreover, seized licensed and unlicensed vehicles must be handed over in accord with the law and procedures and their cases must be settled.
Leading committee members and all those responsible must exactly follow the policy, law, procedures and notifications.
And seizures and action must be in accord with the law.
In combating illegal goods, action will be taken against carriages and storehouses while coordination will be sought with businesspeople to reduce and wipe out illegal trade.
Illegal trade emerges from several basic reasons. As such, export and import on the basis of tax avoidance and illegal trade in banned and limited goods will face effective action. Due to illegal trade and weaknesses in procedures, there should be regular meetings between merchants and relevant departments.
In this regard, the role of organizations such as UMFCCI has become important. There must be effective solutions and cooperation between departments and merchants in reducing and combating illegal trade.
The Vice-Senior General stressed the need to continuously conduct capacity building courses on combat of illegal trade, really reach sales of seized goods to State revenues, effectively take action against illegal trade in line with the law and procedures, and regularly meet merchants including UMFCCI. It is necessary to speed up fight against illegal trade and seek coordination among departments with political and security outlooks, the Vice-Senior General said.
Leading Committee Secretary Deputy Minister for Commerce U Nyunt Aung explained progress in implementation of the resolutions of the meeting (2/2022), committee functioning, seizures of ammonium nitrate, information availability, seizures of illegal goods and trade comparisons between Myanmar and Thailand.
Then, the directors general read messages submitted to the leading committee’s meeting (3/2022).
Vice chairman of the leading committee Union Minister U Win Shein, Deputy Minister for Defence Maj-Gen Aung Lin Tun, Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Maj-Gen Zin Min Htet and officals reported on combating illegal trade in their respective roles.
Then, the resolution (draft) of the meeting (3/2022) was read out.
In response to the reports, the Vice-Senior General made a concluding remark and the meeting ended.