New Bill Targeting Graft at Customs.

(From The Moscow Times)

A group of State Duma deputies on Friday proposed a major overhaul of the Customs Code aimed at simplifying the Byzantine process of importing goods into the country and stamping out corruption.

Should the legislation be approved in the fall, authorized consignees such as customs carriers, brokers and warehouse owners will be able to clear goods at their own facilities, rather than the murky state customs warehouses.

No provision, however, is made in the draft bill for the creation of a centralized electronic database, which exporters say is sorely needed to speed up clearance and root out corruption.

The amendments, drafted after extensive input from more than 65 companies, will improve customs administration, risk control and the quality of post-auditing procedures, Valery Draganov, the Duma deputy leading the initiative, told reporters after presenting the legislation to the Duma's council on customs and tariffs on Friday, the last day of the Duma's spring session.

"What we intend to do is not just tighten the screws but to make customs clearance of goods as easy as possible and speed up the turnover of goods," Draganov said in a separate e-mailed statement.

The reform should also help boost the economy and increase the amount of customs tariffs collected by the government, said Draganov, a former chief of the Federal Customs Service.