Myanmar authorities seized illegal trade worth over K5 billion through border routes in 2018 in order to fight illegal trade (U Myint Swe, Vice President of Myanmar)

In order to fight illegal trade, Myanmar has been increasingly seizing illegally imported products through border routes. There are 240 cases of where they seized illegal products totaling K5.14 billion in 2018, U Myint Swe, Vice President of Myanmar, commented at the meeting held at UMFCCI on December 14.

There are 59 cases of illegal imports which were seized in October and the amount of the seized products totaled K1.3 billion.

“The abundant amount of illegal imports through border gates have had a serious impact to our SMEs causing them to nearly collapse. Therefore, we are fighting against illegal imports,’’the vice president said.

The related regional and state ministers themselves have been leading the team who is enforcing illegal imports, the team must submit a monthly report on the matter to the Union Cabinet, who then monitors the states and regions who have seized smaller amounts of illegal imports, he added.

Local SMEs, who pay taxes, are no match for the products that are illegally imported and cheap, they are also not paying tax on the goods, the vice president remarked.

The government is mainly focusing its illegal import fight campaigns in Chin State, Shan State, Kayah State, Karen State, Mon State, Tanintharyi Region and Sagaing Region, which are all connected to neighboring countries.

Starting from the previous administration under former president U Thein Sein, Myanmar has been fighting illegal imports through border gates by forming mobile teams comprised of various departments.

There are 17 border gates which Myanmar uses to trade with neighboring countries and among the border gates Mu-se border gate is the biggest trading gate, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

(Myanmar Business Today: https://www.mmbiztoday.com/articles/myanmar-seized-illegal-trade-worth-over-k5-billion-year )

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