Ncell has paid import duty amounting to Rs10.1 million to clear its imported goods which had been stamped with the Red Cross logo, the Airport Customs Office said on Wednesday.
About a dozen cases of telecom equipment imported from China had been held up at the airport after Ncell delayed claiming them.
The customs office had been concerned that the boxes had been affixed with the Red Cross logo with the intention of evading taxes. “The company paid import duty and came to claim the goods,” said Bhupal Baral, chief of the Airport Customs Office.
“I will now consult with my superiors and start the process of clearing the goods.” Since the company has claimed the goods by paying import duty, the government cannot legally hold them, he added.
The government was concerned after finding commercial goods stamped with the Red Cross logo since it has declared that relief materials brought from abroad for victims of the earthquake are exempt from customs duty.
