KARACHI: MCC Appraisement East on the directives of Chief Collector Appraisement South has served Explanation Letters on a number of Appraising Officers and Principal Appraisers for processing several goods declarations (GDs) of polyester suiting shirting fabrics under inappropriate classification, which resulted in loss of revenue.
These AOs and PAs were marked GDs for assessment declared under heading 5407.4200 and availed rate of customs duty 12 percent under SRO 659(I)/2007. Whereas the same is correctly classifiable under heading 5407.5200 chargeable customs duty 16 percent and the benefit if SRO is not admissible.
However, the Assistant and Deputy Collectors doing the same thing have not been issued any explanation letters.
An official said that the AOs and PAs had made the wrong assessments, but so did the assistant/deputy collectors, and it was unjustified to target only the AOs and PAs.
It was learnt that if AO assessed the GDs as per wishes of the importer then there was no 1st review and if the AOs did not do anything wrong against the wishes of importer, the GD went to PA for 1st review and if the PA did not do anything wrong, the GD was taken to DC/AC for 2nd review by the importer. It was known that in most cases, AO, or the PA, or the DC/AC made deal with the importers for their own benefits on the cost of national exchequer.
PAs served explanation letters include Saleh Kalhoro, Abdul Qayyum, Jam Arbab Ali, Shahid Akbar, Sajid Ali Bhutto.
AOs served explanation letters include Saif-ur-Rehman, Nisar Ahmed, Zulfiqar Zaman, Noor Alam Durrani, Hayatullah Khan, Mehboob Dawood Vohra, Rauf Khan, Syed Masoom Raza, Aamir Shuja, Mohammad Ahmed, Mohammad Nazeer, Rai Iftikhar, Sheikh Zahid Aziz, Khan Mohammad keryo, Mohammad Wasim, Shafqat Abbas Gondal, Qadeer Khan, Amir Hussain, Faisal Umrani, Anwar Zaib, Ghulam Yasin, Abid Hussain, Rao Mohammad Aslam, Malik Shahid Iqbal, Fazal Karim and Aamir Nasir Ali.
It may be mentioned here that GDs were processed under wrong classification by certain DCs/ACs through the 2nd review and the officers who processed these GDs include Nazia Saleem, Moeen Afzal Ali, Farah Farooq, Hina Gul and Tahir Abbas.
Appraising officers and principal appraisers are of the view that Chief Collector Appraisement South had become personal with appraising officers and principal officers, and they were being humiliated and targeted.
AOs and PAs are the most experienced staff and understand the things better. They are of the view that if the Chief collector had so much problems with AOs and PAs, their role pertaining to assessment and examination should be ended.