Turkey
Customs Modernization Initiatives (2004)
M. Bahri Oktem
Section: Sumario
Permanent Link:
http://vlex.com/vid/turkey-38561751
Id. vLex: VLEX-38561751
Background. Tariff Structure. Relations with the World Customs Organization and Other International Organizations. Membership in the World Trade Organization and Customs Valuation. Revenue Importance of Import Taxes. The Modernization Program. New Customs Code and Simplified Trade Procedures. Reorganization of the TCA. Improvement of Physical Infrastructure with Private Sector Support. Human Resource Management. Automation. Customs Controls, Selectivity, and Postrelease Inspection. Performance of the TCA. Clearance Times. Transparency. Efficiency. The 2001-05 Reform Program. Conclusion.
Turkey
This chapter reviews recent reforms undertaken by the Turkish Customs Administration (TCA) since 1993. The findings are based on a series of interviews with individuals who participated in the reform process from its outset, customs officials and other government officials who implemented it and were affected by it, and representatives of the trading community. The reform was initiated as a result of both external and internal forces. They included the association agreement between Turkey and the European Union (EU), which required that Turkey's trade legislation be aligned with European practices. In addition, in the early 1990s Turkey's customs services were generally perceived as inefficient and corrupt. Public officials and traders alike viewed the situation as a major handicap to business that had to be eliminated in order for the country to integrate better into the world economy and benefit from international trade. Government officials saw customs reform as part of a broader process of modernizing public sector management, and they included it in a request for support from the World Bank. The World Bank began preparation to provide such support in 1993, an effort that eventually resulted in the Public Financial Management Project. The International Monetary Fund was closely associated with the reform process and periodically sent missions to monitor its progress. The broad objectives of the customs reform were to ensure that Turkey had modern customs laws that conformed with the EU's requirements, to simplify customs procedures, to adopt modern information and communication technology (ICT) that would help make customs clearance more efficient and predictable, and to ensure faster and more efficient production of trade statistics. Background Turkey's customs modernization initiative complemented its overall policy ambition of greater integration into the world economy, particularly into the EU. Tariff Structure Before 1992, Turkey levied multiple import taxes and surcharges. In addition to customs duties and value added taxes (VATs), those taxes included municipal charges; stamp duties; Promotion Fund, Mass Housing Fund, and Price Stability Fund taxes; and duties for transportation infrastructure. Levying the additional taxes was complicated, and the government abolished them...
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