Scanners Are Coming, with a Fee Schedule

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Legislation authorizing the Customs Division of Treasury to use scanners or x-ray equipment has been introduced in the Fono.

The bill includes a fee schedule that importers and merchants have to pay.

It statutes that to execute customs responsibilities that include searching for contraband, weapons and other illegal or undeclared merchandise, custom and border security officers may employ the use of scanners or X-ray equipment for inspecting all containers, loose cargo and merchandise and parcels.

The importer, exporter and or owner of the examined merchandise is responsible for the cost of this inspection, and search.

The fee schedule is :

  •  $350 for a 40 ft container or larger
  • $250 for containers that are less than 40 feet,
  • $100 for inspection of loose cargo pellets
  • $75 for inspection per vehicle or heavy equipment
  • $10 per parcel imported for commercial purposes and
  • other scanning fees as determined by customs and enacted by administrative rule making.

 

The customs scanners are being purchased with money from the sale of American Samoa Economic Development Authority bonds.

In the last session the Senate was not supportive of the purchase of the scanners and Governor Lolo Moliga instructed ASEDA to put the purchase of the scanners be put on hold.

But he now tells the Fono in a July 26 letter that Treasury will purchase new state of the art x-ray technology to help the Customs Division more effectively inspect incoming items.

Lolo says customs agencies around the US currently use this technology and in American Samoa; case it will aid customs agents with enforcing general excise taxes, which are being under collected because of lacking technology and inefficient practices.

The governor says customs officers will also be able to better prevent the illegal, transportation of illegal drugs or weapons to and from the territory.

In addition the proposed bill will help support Treasury in the use and maintenance of this new equipment.

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