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Customs misclassifying SUVs like Nissan X-Trail, Toyota Raize: VIASL
Colombo, March 20 (Daily Mirror) - President of the Vehicle Importers' Association of Sri Lanka (VIASL) Prasad Manage claimed today that an issue has arisen at the Sri Lanka Customs Department, as the Nissan X-Trail and Toyota Raize, classified as hybrid SUVs by Japan Customs, have been identified as non-hybrid vehicles by Sri Lanka Customs.
Addressing the media, he said that the Nissan X-Trail is a hybrid SUV with a 1,500cc engine capacity, while the Toyota Raize is a hybrid SUV with a 1,200cc engine capacity.
However, the Sri Lanka Customs Department has informed them that these SUV models do not fall under the hybrid vehicle category during the customs clearance process, he said.
"Therefore, we cross-checked the vehicle category with the vehicle manufacturing company and the Customs Department in Japan. They confirmed that the above SUVs fall under the hybrid vehicle category, classified under category 870340," he said.
"The hybrid duty for a Nissan X-Trail would be Rs. 6 million, while the hybrid duty for a Toyota Raize would be Rs. 10 million.
"However, the Sri Lanka Customs Department has refused to accept the hybrid classification of these SUVs and instead claims that they fall under a different category of electric vehicles. When we checked the duty components, the tax on a Toyota Raize SUV would be between Rs. 12 million and Rs. 14 million, while a Nissan X-Trail SUV would be taxed at around Rs. 30 million.
"These SUVs include the latest hybrid system, known as the 'series hybrid system,' and a set of documents relating to this new system has been submitted to the Customs HS classification unit."
"The VIASL is requesting the Sri Lanka Customs to provide an immediate solution to this issue, as we are facing significant difficulty in releasing the vehicles from Customs. These new hybrid vehicles have already arrived at the Customs. They offer a high fuel efficiency of 25 kilometres per litre.
"Following the the extraordinary gazette notification revising multiple import and export regulations—including a key update allowing Bureau Veritas inspection certificates for vehicles imported from all countries—the VIASL President stated that consumers can expect to see vehicles in showrooms by next week.
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