The government on Thursday eased customs procedures for exporters and small businesses by aligning postal exports with regular cargo shipments, a move aimed at widening access to export-linked duty benefits.
In a set of notifications issued by the Ministry of Finance and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, electronic export entries filed for goods sent by post will now be treated at par with shipping bills or bills of export used in cargo shipments.
This change is expected to particularly benefit micro, small and medium exporters and online sellers who rely on postal channels to ship goods overseas. Until now, many of these exporters faced difficulties in claiming incentives because key duty remission schemes were linked to shipping bills, a document typically used for cargo exports rather than postal consignments.
With the amendment, exporters sending goods by post will be able to claim benefits under schemes such as duty drawback, Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RODTEP) and the apparel-focused Remission of State and Central Taxes and Levies (ROSCTL), removing a long-standing procedural gap.
The government has also introduced new electronic Postal Bill of Export formats, with separate forms for e-commerce exports and other postal shipments, to streamline compliance and improve ease of doing business.
The revised rules have come into force with immediate effect, signalling a push to support small exporters and boost outbound shipments, especially from the fast-growing e-commerce segment. |
