Pakistan Customs enters digital era
In order to facilitate the competitiveness of country’s exports in the international market, the Government of Pakistan and the Federal Board of Revenue, as a matter of policy, have ensured that various export facilitation regimes, ensuring zero-rating of exports, remain available to the exporters. For this, FBR has taken various initiatives for removal of obstacles in expansion and facilitation of exports and has provided various facilitation regimes having exemption on duties and taxes which remain available to the bona fide exporters of Pakistan. Such exemption schemes, which currently exist, give a wide range of choice to the exporters, which they can avail depending upon the nature of their business and convenience. These regimes targets export areas like textiles, leather, sports & surgical goods, carpets, footwear, engineering goods and metal products, etc. The major schemes include:-
- Duty Drawback Scheme (DDB).
- Duty and Tax Remission (DTRE) Scheme.
- Manufacturing Bonds.
- Export Processing Zones (EPZs).
- Temporary Importation Scheme (EOUs).
- Digital processing for issuance of the Certificates of Origin and the procedure for Electronic Data Exchange (EDE) has been designed by FBR and is actively pursuing its early implementation with major import/export partners of Pakistan. This would definitely give a strong impetuous to the country’s exports and reduce their dwelling time. Exports consignments are not subjected to 100% physical examination at the port of exit and the web based management system (WeBoc) selects the export consignments for examination on the basis of risk profiling. Pakistan Customs is geared up and is aptly using the digital processing for its effective and progressive engagement in all spheres of export related business processes.