KARACHI: The R&D Appraisement West has lodged FIR against certain importers who were taking undue advantage of SRO 670 (I)/2013 and evading the entire sales tax of 17 percent on the import of plastic molding compound (PMC).
Deputy Collector Nayyar Shafiq, Principal Appraiser Tahir Hussain and Shahid hussain Dasti acting on the directives of Collector Appraisement West Mohammad Saleem visited the addresses provided by M/s Reliable Associates, M/s Vital Trade International, M/s Shahab Traders, M/s Vinsome Packages and M/s Royal Packages for physical verification.
But the above mentioned officers and officials found that either the factories of the above mentioned companies did not exist at all at the given addresses or they were not manufacturers. However, these are registered as manufacturer importers with Input Ouput, and IRS.
The misuse of this SRO has been causing huge revenue loss to the exchequer as a large number of commercial importers have registered them as manufacturers to take benefit of SRO 670.
The R&D Appraisement West has also arrested one clearing agent Mohammad Sadiq Jumani in this regard and obtained the remand from the concerned court.
It is interesting to note that R&D Appraisement East also visited the facilities of the above mentioned importers and confirmed the existence of manufacturing facilities.
Despite lodging of FIRs and arrest of clearing agent, the clearance of these companies continued at Appraisement East but they did not claimed the benefit of the subject SRO.