The Real Story
Last week we had shipments to clear with Business Mail. They've given us personally good service. We've had the under US$200 thing applied successfully over the past few months.
Just lately there has been a problem in Aduana. Aduana is revaluing items at will. Last week we walked through a specific shipment that was assessed at 3 times the value on the commercial invoice. Yes, a US$200 shipment (2 of those) and one other bigger shipment. The duties from aduana doubled and in some cases tripled on these items. We import these items frequently, so we now what they cost and what the rates are.
During the process, we pushed our clearning agent unmercifully .. telling him to go back to aduana at least six times. He kept saying he cannot get anywhere. We all ended up with an attorney in Santo Domingo in aduana. I'm not sure which tax it is that disappeared as preparation for DRCafta, but an ad valorum tax disappeared. Aduana's response was to revalue goods for unbelievable customs values. Our clearing agent showed us a stack of computers that he was trying to clear, valued between US$600 and US$800. Aduana valued each computer at US$1,500. Computers are free of duties Yes? No! not lately.
The outcome of our own protest was that aduana said we could resubmit all the paperwork, it will take 3 weeks, we will be paying demurrage while the paperwork is resubmitted and the customs officer just about made it clear that we will be paying a higher duty rate and not a lower one, should we resubmit.
Aduana rewrote their book, they are not accepting proper and legal commercial invoices, they are revaluing everying to mas o menos double what the commercial invoice states. There reason is, hear this ... people undervalue commercial invoices, they say. I wonder what Dell would say if we told them Dominican Republic Aduana does not accept the values on their commercial invoices?
Anyone that is an investigative journalist? This will make a story. All of us dependent on imported goods, we have a problem. The DR is rewriting the values of the good and proper commercial invoices, and revaluing at will, breaking the DRCafta regulations and probably breaking some international treaties as well.