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CB Tax Services Review of chennai customs (india)
chennai customs (india)

chennai customs (india) review: bribe 14

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12:00 am EST
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I hereby regret to inform you about the problem faced in the Export procedures at Chennai Sea Customs and the problems are the Bribes & The procedures included recently

A)
1. compulsory Bribe in all section
2. approx 99.99% of all customs staff are collecting it in compulsory basis(Appraiser, Examiner, Preventive Officer, Supt, Ac, Joint Commissioner to the top level officer)
3. and they have fixed and Flat rate and they say it as their fees & it’s starts from Rs.50 to Rs.50,000as nominal fee (Bribe) and the cha raise this bribe as customs misc charges and we(Exporters) have headache to make it in accounting & audit
4. for a instance I have exported a material worth US$ 20,000/- (Approximately) and I Have been exported it thro L/C (Bank) while inspecting my consignment ( free S.Bill) the appraiser stated that my consignment was high value and to want Rs. Ten Thousand to pass my consignment and in the next week I have same consignment to same party with same rate/ Free S.Bill and the another appraiser asked Rs. Ten Thousand stating the my consignment was also done by L/C (Thro Bank)

B)
1.After exporting of shipment in general customs provide E.P.Copy with endorsement (Proof of exporting) and attesting the ARE 1 copies. But now they reject to attest the ARE1 stating that the particulars has not entered in their record and a penalty raised Rs.2,000 to Rs. 10,000 to pay to customs thro Bank and Bribes to all customs persons who handle these formalities and the process under goes for 1 Week to 3 Months and also exceeds my profit and my profit including my service charge in exporting one consignment is Rs. 7,000/- approx what can I do?

2.What ever charges to be made after Customs examination the word “NOC” rises which empty our pocket even it stop our future work.

3.One time I have paid duty for not submitting the ARE to CEX in time because of customs NOC which exceeds two months after my consignment reached my principal.

4. OFFICER IN CUSTOMS IS AS CRUEL FOR EXAMPLE THEY ALWAYS THROW THE DOCUMENT S TO US AFTER VERIFYING AND EVEN USE BAD WORDS

14 comments
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Ramesh Subramaniam
, US
Nov 26, 2015 10:38 am EST

I have travelled from kuala lumpur to chennai on 20th November 2015 morning flight by airasia AK11..after immigration and custom green lane clearance i was stopped by one custom officer for wearing gold chain and mentioned that need to pay duty on that item because exceed about 199grm..i bought this chain in my country with legally and why should i pay duty for no reason? After conversation with the custom officer and he make me compulsory to pay the duty after i mention to bring back the chain to my country..the custom officer was very route and in morality behave with passangger that i couldn't take it..how it possible to reclaim back the duty paid money or should i complaint to any relevant authorities in my country..please advise on this matter..thabk you..

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Jitenw
, US
Jun 13, 2014 1:01 pm EDT

Please complain here: http://www.cbec.gov.in/grievance.htm
Shri
Talkeswar Singh
Addl. Director General (SZU.)
Directorate General of Vigilance,
Customs and Central Excise
South Zonal Unit, Custom House
5th Floor, Annexe 33, Rajaji
Salai
Chennai - 600001
Phone No.
(044) [protected]
Fax (044) [protected]
E-mail
: adgvigsouth@icegate.gov.in

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sunder1991
, IN
Jun 17, 2013 1:26 am EDT

Exceedingly horrible customs clearance and corruption
We are regular importers of laptop carry bags, ipad cases and covers from australia. We have imported one consignment through chennai customs as we were led to believe that chennai customs is better off than bangalore customs. The shipment landed on 31st May and till today i.e 17th June the shipment has not been passed despite the fact that all our papers are correct, we had declared the correct value, we had produced the payment receipt made to the seller, we have a clean record with our past imports.
Chennai customs has turned out to be a worse nightmare than bangalore customs. At least for a week their ICES system was down for maintenance- who knows whether it was really down or whether the customs was trying to encash upon the rising dollar value- which increases the amount of duty. And even when the ICE system was available, the apprasing officer was demanding a bribe of Rs.5000/-. Once the ICE system got up and running, the AC went on leave conveniently without any responsibility towards the pending shipments. Finally today I get a message from our freight forwarder that the appraiser is going to increase the import duty from 29% to a minimum of 44%. arbitrarily.

The delay in the clearance has not only cost us our pending orders but on top of it the demurage which the AAI is charging- which will be levied from day one- for no fault of ours but because of the incompetency of the customs. And now the hike in the customs duty by the appraiser. So where are we to go ? The customs and the government is fleecing us and ultimately our products and goods are becoming costlier for the common man. How are we going to recover our costs with such high handed and callous attitude of the customs personnel. It is a known fact, that customs officials rake in huge amounts of money as bribes and get bloated up. They let fraudulent consignment pass through by taking huge bribes and harass the ones who want to follow the rules and play by the regulations.

It is these rodents who are milking our country and letting our country to go to dogs. After all why shouldn't they do so, when the ministers and their superior officers are more corrupt ?

Why isn't the commissioner taking note of such happenings? What is he doing to get rid of such harassment ? Why doesn't he publish his email id openly so that customer complaints ? How can we expect our goods to get sold when the cost of imports are being hiked arbitrarily by the unscrupulous officials ? How can we run our business when whatever little margin we make are being eaten by these rodents, who have got so much bloated on bribes and yet they go on scrounging.
These are the people who are responsible for this pitiable state of our country. What is the point of tom toming that India is becoming a super economic power when the ground reality is of a country which is festering with wound which is stinking and rotting. And it is these people who are making it more rotten. This is nothing but sanctioned goondaism. Officials with power hold to ransom straight forward business people. These are the guys who are teaching us not to do business in a clean and straight forward manner. Even if people want to do legitimate business, these rodents don't allow us and instead force us to become cheats.

I am pouring out my anguish and the pain on these pages because there appears to be no remedy, there appears to be no one who is imbued with a sense of responsibility and driven by the desire not to let a wrong happen. I don't know whether any of the customs officials will even bother to find these complaint in these pages. I also believe that my plight here is one amongst the thousands, if not millions, which importers are facing day in and day out. At best this complaint will get submerged and drowned in this vast ocean of corruption which our India has proudly achieved and stands tall amongst all the corrupted countries in the world.

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Ismail Nazeer
, US
Nov 13, 2018 11:59 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more
Replying to comment of sunder1991

Your pain is understandable. It is higher officials who give protection. I am also faced the same last week and missed export order. This Commissionar Padamshri has no phone or mail contact on website. She doesn't allow anyone meet her except receiving 'gifts'. Everything going on under carpet

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Janneke
, IN
Sep 03, 2011 2:28 pm EDT

But does anyone knows where to address these complaints?

We have imported 1 Infrared Sauna unit worth 33800, - INR (740, - USD) from China, but Chennai Custom House has put an objection while clearing this unit. According to Chennai Customs House the value of the product was higher than the invoice amount, for which we had bought the unit.
On the phone we were politely asked to pay a bribe (no proof of this), on which we immediately said we would not do such thing. After that the duty amount was raised.
According to other importers, it is the most common thing in India to pay bribe for importing goods. It is either this, or customs will raise your duty even higher next time. Many importers pay customs fixed bribes for full containers.
But all this 'bribe paying business', I can not document, so I don't have prove!

Raising the duty!
I have already paid the difference of the extra duty amount of 5639, - INR Chennai Customs House asked for. They raised the value of the Infra red unit from 33.800, - INR to 56140, - INR (66% higher than the actual amount!), without giving me any specific information what this is based upon!
How can customs decide to increase the value of the product, without any proof or explanation?

Does anyone knows where to go to for justice?

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raj87
, IN
Aug 05, 2011 7:46 pm EDT

I had a package of foreign coins ordered from USA.It was two packages each weighing 3.5kgs and the coins are from different countries worth nothing.I ordered it for collection purpose.I was supposed to receive 30 packs of coins in the two packages.But the customs officials opened it and took away more than half of it.If it really is worth to be taxed i am happy to pay taxes.Why do the officers take the coins which were of sentimental value to me?Only beggars run for coins.These people are worse than them i hope.It is my curse.As long as they hold the coins they looted they would face all sort of problems in life.

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ricky444
, US
May 09, 2011 8:08 am EDT

i deep heartedly in pain want to complain this people standing in customs in white dress in chennai airport bribing money for items that we bring from abroad. my luggage had old lcd tv worth 40 thousand they ask 4 thousand or they will hold the tv. i really dont understand that why i have to pay if the worth is not more that limit mentioned in the paper that they give before landing. bribing is killing india right from lower level to higher level. only god should save india. ### off these ### eating the people s money

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coobro1
, IN
Aug 20, 2010 12:15 am EDT

trust me, if this problem persists most of the govt officials will be beaten or murdered on day light. Come on why the hell we need to do business if we we are making just %10 as profit after all the money goes to these blood sucking [censor].

Better The people who need bribe i have a better idea, i understand your only aim is to cheat people and get money and become crorepathi's. I have a better solution for you to get rich soon. Send your wife and children to prostitution and earn money.

One day or the another you all [censor]s will pay your price. I dont believe in goverment rules, since it is easy to be broken. So i am sure many people are there to take initiate and stop this nonsense.

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R. Murali Krishnan
, AE
Jun 15, 2010 4:21 am EDT

to fight slavery, we used non-violence
to fight corruption, we are using Law. Unfortunately, sometimes this is in the hands of corruption itself wherein we are fooled and revenged. Every Indian should oath to fight it from in and out. The law in India is already tougher but no one scars because they are bot scared of being caught. The volume of such corrputed people have grown more and more and today if you take action, say in your case, the whole Sea Customs will be empty and the Sea operations will go stand still, so they are doing it because they have grown to the majority and having said there is no work around to keep the operations progressing. This has to be overome with the help of automation and reduce the human interventions with each other. No one should be allowed to to meet each other for any reasons. Everything should go by writing in electronic format. Still there would be bribes in loading and unloading points and else where in some other forms. To make the changes to happen we have to change the current system and to do this we have to fight with legitimacy and solidarity. We have to seed the sprit of purity within ourselves and with our childrens. We should dare not to show partiality to anyone who is does not abide to the law. It can be yourself, your father, mother, borther, sister, wife, childred, relatives or friends, the Law should penetrate all the boundries. It shoudl punish all who stand against the code of conduct. Be dare to point your fingures when it happens. At most what they can cost you is your life, and be ready to shed your blood for the sake of purifying Mother India. I am an Indian living abroad with strict code of conduct and why cant we live the same here in homeland? Defaulter is everywhere in the world, that is the way he/she is born or brought up in this life style. What do you do when you sight an Elephant or Lion in your paddy fields? Dont the forest department take them and drop them in the forest where they are suppose to live? Simillary identify the corrupted people to the law. But, please understand that you do not do this to the rats and flies. This does not mean that you have attack them, it means that when your oponent is stronger than you always seeks the help from outside. You have to understand that in our democratic country we have to handle everything by Law. Our great Father of the Nation Shri M. K. Gandhi could not fight slavery until we could gather the like minded people who needs freedom. This way i call upon all like minded people to come together and form an Non-Profit Movement to fight all that stands against growth of India. This united movement should consist of excellent and pure human beings of all walks of life who are really having intention to spend time, donate money, find sponsors and take this to the extent of supreme court with no commercial interest. Our movement should be stonger than the so called rats, elephants and lions to challenge the Politicians, Officers, Rowdys and last but not the least our blood relations.

Vandematharam.

R. Murali Krishnan

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RIGHT INDIAN
, IN
Dec 03, 2009 5:42 am EST

It is high time such fraudulent staff is given the sack. What is the purpose of having strict procedures when such procedures themselves turn into vicious beasts, thereby defeating the very purpose in the first place. We as Indians know how to hold our flags high during Independence Day and Republic Day, but turn a blind eye when some corrupt official starts tearing the very fabric of our development. Inspite of all checks that are in place, a person who falls into a group of people who appreciate illegal income, cannot act honestly. Each and every Indian should think of the losses the country suffers. It is only then that the Country will develop. The best punishment for such officials will be to stop all exports and create a social revolution so as to make the Government and law enforcing agencies think twice before playing around with victorian rules. Such corrupt officials must be put under the scanner and stripped off their posts and paraded with tatoos on their foreheads inscribed as "I am a rapist of the economy of my mother land"

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kaminab
, CA
Nov 29, 2009 1:00 am EST

Expose and publish names of officers involved, atleast this will help in trapping these officers one fine day.

Use following forum to expose these greedy termites and save India from unformed goons surviving on public money.

www.kaminababu.com

http://www.kaminababu.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18

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factsReality
, IN
Jan 13, 2009 3:00 pm EST

Corruption is killing India.
Join the drive to weed out the mostly corrupt lot of administration in India which is more than 98%.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Facts/petition.html

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Vishal Sharma
,
Dec 10, 2007 11:04 pm EST

I would suggest u better name all the officers here. With their contacts numbers and designations. Atleast they would be openly exposed in the public eye.

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Sambond007
, IN
Feb 04, 2017 6:17 am EST

No corruption is there fake news