Customs salaries to be raised after 13 years

Maldives Customs Service has said today that the Finance Ministry has assured them that salaries of Customs employees will see an increment in the coming year. 

In response to a question posed by a member of the Budget Committee, Customs Chief Superintendent Abdulla Ali stated that they had been told in discussions with the Finance Ministry that, similar to other institutions, Customs staff will also be included within the pay harmonization framework, granting them a pay raise. 

Salaries of Customs officials have remained the same, with no increments, since the Customs Act came into effect in 2011. 

Customs further said that the service needs 270 new hires to further streamline their work. They said that they would need MVR 70 million from what was deducted from the budget for the salaries of these new hires and existing staff. 

Also raised in today's meeting was the importance of placing container scanners. 

"If we are able to set up container scanners, smuggling and other activities at the port can be identified, and this will contribute to duty increase as well, so we have submitted this to parliament," Abdulla Ali said. 

Commissioner General of Customs Fathimath Dhiyana said that efforts to procure container scanners had been commenced last year. 

She said that a letter has been sent to the Finance Ministry as well seeking resolutions to the delays in procuring container scanners. 

She pointed out that the proposed budget for next year has a figure which is MVR 19 million lower than was agreed with the Finance Ministry. The allocation for Customs in the proposed budget is MVR 297 million.