On Thursday, January 16th, 2025, the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce presented its first Executive Luncheon of the year, featuring the Customs and Excise Department, at the Coco Palm resort from 12:30 pm.
The luncheon was an outstanding success, with over 60 attendees from the business community in attendance to hear from the Comptroller of Customs and Excise, Mr. Sherman Emmanuel.
The event, held in the Coco Palm Conference Room, featured an incisive and engaging presentation on the Customs & Excise Department’s transformative efforts. Mr. Emmanuel was joined by his senior team, which included Ms Keiran Joseph, Acting Deputy Comptroller of Operations, Mr Valentine Caesar, Assistant Comptroller of Revenue Compliance, Mr. Cletus Thomas, Acting Assistant Comptroller for Trade, and Mr Adrian Dominique, Information Systems Manager.
The Team, in collaboration with Digitised Solutions Limited, a consulting firm that provides the Customs and Excise Department with ASCUDYA and IT support, provided information on the department’s ongoing efforts to improve service delivery, increase efficiency, and modernise operations and services.
The program is consistent with the government’s objective to improve revenue collection by collecting outstanding money owed while accelerating the passage of products and minimizing the paperwork that typically occurs at the border.
Under the subject “Transforming Our Customer Journey: Faster, Smarter, Greener Trade,” Mr Emmanuel’s team presented the new strategies that will be adopted. The Comptroller stated that the Consultants had made 14 suggestions. These proposals were accepted and will be executed this year. The Comptroller promised to aggressively execute the recommendations, with the assurance that at least half would be implemented by June 2025.
Among the recommendations presented were the reconfiguration of Customs Release Orders, the introduction of E receipts and Assessment Notices, a Pilot Trusted Trade Programme, and the revision of e Warehouse Bond Forms, among others.
Mr. Fabian Joseph and Mr. Jude Charlery of DSL also spoke at the luncheon about the subject and the recommendations. Mr Joeseph concluded his presentation with a demonstration of soon-to-be-introduced web-based computer programmes designed to simplify the interface between clients and the Customs & Excise Department, as well as all of its procedures, and to capitalise on digitalisation potential.
The luncheon allowed attendees to interact directly with key stakeholders and ask questions during the interactive Q&A session, allowing the business community to better understand the changes that will directly affect them as well as express some of their concerns about current practices.
The Customs & Excise Department and the Chamber reaffirmed their commitment to continuing to collaborate and dialogue on issues that arise, all in the spirit of improving efficiency and lowering costs to the business community while securing government revenue as part of the goal of moving St. Lucia towards sustainable and shared prosperity.