Every December through to January in St Kitts and Nevis, opportunities are given to the public to encouraging heavy spending for the holiday season.

In 2019, these came in the form of the annual Discounted VAT Rate Days (DVRD’s), exemption of duty and taxes on importation of foodstuff up to 400lbs, freight exemption of items under 500EC or 200US, and other discounts offered by local business such as retailers and vendors. Coupled with the multitudes of discounts offered by online stores, this creates a wave of imported goods shipped to the federation.

How does the Customs and Excise Department deal with this annual wave of goods?

Customs Service Officer 4, Courier Operation Manager, Mr Jervin Nisbett on this week’s edition of “Working for You” explains:

Due to the massive influx of goods; couriers, businesses and individuals are the victims of a mixture of logistical errors. These include lost packages, incorrect deliveries and most commonly, packages delivered late notably beyond their original estimated dates.

When a caller suggested that better coordination efforts be made to litigate these issues, this was Mr. Nisbett’s response:

Customs Service Officer 4, Courier Operation Manager, Mr Jervin Nisbett