KARACHI: The hearing of ten Special Customs Reference Applications (SCRAs) was adjourned till Dec 21 as counsel for applicants sought time to obtain some order or a decision from the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the leave to appeal filed before apex court.
The controversy pertains to the release of the imported goods provisionally on payment of differential amount to the Nazir of High Court of Sindh. According to details, SHC facing a very high number of new cases seeking release of consignments against payment of differential amount of custom duty and taxes (between declared value and assessed value), ordered that Director General, valuation should decide the review application against any Valuation Ruling within 30 days. The direction was aimed at expediting the resolution of dispute saving the importers from damage to consignment and demurrage/wharf age etc. Today when the matter came up for hearing, the counsel for petitioners/importers relied on a citation known as Sadia Jabbar case in it was ruled that Directorate of Custom Valuation should issue a new Valuation Ruling after 90 days.
The said order is impugned in an appeal pending before the apex court and we will try to get some orders, the counsel Khalid Javed Khan told the bench.
Masooda Siraj advocate assisted by Zafar Hussain advocate confirming the pendency of appeal before Supreme Court did not object to adjournment at which the bench deferred further proceedings till Dec 21.
According to details, the petitioners are importers of soap vermicelli from Gulf countries. They imported consignments and declared goods under Valuation Ruling 702 of 2014 while Customs assessed the consignments under a new Valuation Ruling 737/2015, which is on higher side. The petitioners maintain that new VR ignores the falling international prices and is assessing the consignments on higher side.