Customs urged to move online
Customs authorities should work quickly to adopt an envisioned online registration system for cross-border cargo shipments that would expedite delivery and cut out pesky middlemen who tack on unofficial fees, Transport Minister Sun Chanthol said on December 5. “Online registration is important because right now for the trucks crossing the border [everything is] done manually,” he said. “Eventually this will be shifted online so that shipments crossing from Vietnam, Laos and Thailand can cross easily.” The minister’s comments came during a workshop for the development of a National Logistics Council, a program spearheaded by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and given the greenlight by Prime Minister Hun Sen that seeks to create a coordinated plan for lowering the Kingdom’s high logistics costs. Chanthol said the government’s plan to implement an online customs registration, along with other online initiatives for vehicle registration and driver’s licence applications, aimed at boosting the Kingdom’s low ranking on the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index. Cambodia’s overall LPI ranking improved from 83 to 73 from 2014 to 2016 on improved timeliness and ease of exports. However, scores for infrastructure and customs environment fell over the course of two years.
