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(Trinidad Express) The Customs & Excise Division has launched a Point of Sale (POS) debit card system, allowing customers to make payments directly at Customs offices across Trinidad and Tobago. The Ministry of Finance said the initiative is part of the Division’s efforts to modernise operations, improve customer service, and streamline the ease of doing business nationwide. “The Linx payment option provides both commercial and non-commercial stakeholders with faster, safer and more efficient payment services,” a release stated on Friday. “Commercial clients including importers, brokers and shipping agents will benefit from reduced transaction times, improved transparency and simplified account reconciliation. Members of the public conducting non-commercial transactions will now experience greater convenience and shorter processing times when making Customs payments,” a release stated yesterday. The Finance Ministry said the introduction of Linx highlights the Division’s commitment to delivering efficient, customer-focused, and transparent services. “This launch marks a significant milestone in our digital transformation journey, and we are already working toward expanding our services to include credit card and online payment options in the near future,” it stated. “The Customs & Excise Division remains dedicated to leveraging technology to improve its operations and to support the Government’s broader digital transformation agenda for Trinidad and Tobago,” the release stated. The American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (Amcham T&T) yesterday welcomed the announcement that customers can now make payments electronically at the Customs and Excise Division. “This option is initially being offered at Piarco and Customs’ House. While this may seem like a small step, this initiative has the potential to cut bureaucracy and reduce friction in the facilitation of trade. It, therefore, represents important progress toward the digitalisation and modernisation of Customs operations—something for which Amcham T&T has consistently advocated to improve efficiency, transparency, and the overall ease of doing business in Trinidad and Tobago,” it stated. Amcham T&T said that by reducing reliance on cash transactions, businesses could benefit from faster processing, fewer administrative delays, reduced opportunities for corruption, and a smoother overall trade facilitation process. “This is a positive and practical step toward improving service delivery and enhancing the ease of doing business. Amcham T&T has long called for the digital transformation of Customs processes to help reduce backlogs and improve efficiency. In the past couple of months, we have seen a refreshingly new approach by Customs when it comes to trade facilitation, which is one of their three core functions,” Amcham T&T’s CEO Nirad Tewarie stated. “We applaud Comptroller Riad Juman and his team as well as the Ministry of Finance and the team at the National Payments Company for making this a reality. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Customs and Excise Division to build a fully digital, efficient, and transparent system that strengthens trade facilitation and supports economic growth while protecting our borders and enhancing the Government’s revenue collection capacity. We look forward to this being rolled out at all ports and Customs facilities and to even more payment options being added as time goes by,” Tewarie stated.
