Govt eases penal provisions for customs, excise offences

In a bid to reduce harassment of overseas travellers, the government on Friday eased the penal provisions by raising fourfold to Rs 20 lakh the limit of undeclared or mis-declared baggage that will attract arrest or prosecution.

Presently, overseas travellers can pay a fine for any undeclared or misdeclared baggage of a value up to Rs 5 lakh.

Any such baggage beyond this limit attracts prosecution or arrest. The government has now raised this limit to Rs 20 lakh. 

 “In cases of outright smuggling or mis-declaration of baggage, the limits regarding value of offending goods have been revised from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh,” a Finance Ministry statement said. Similarly, the monetary limits for arrests and prosecution have been raised for offenders under other acts including Central Excise, Customs and Service Tax.