Centre scraps five obsolete customs laws

The Government today approved the repeal of five obsolete laws on customs and excise duties in line with the recommendations by the Law Commission and the Commission on Review of Administrative Laws.

The Cabinet decided to scrap the Sugar (Special Excise Duty) Act of 1959, Mineral Products (Additional Duties of Excise and Customs) Acts of 1958, Central Duties of Excise (Retrospective Exemption) Act of 1986, Customs and Excise Revenue Appellate Tribunal Act of 1986 and Customs and Central Excise Laws (Amendment) Act, 1988.

It also ratified ex-post facto an agreement with Romania for cooperation in plant protection and phytosanitary quarantine to prevent spread of pests in both countries during trade of plants and plant products, an official spokesperson said.

The Cabinet also ratified previous pacts signed with Israel, Brazil, Guyana and Chile that allows diplomats visa-free travel in these nations.