KARACHI: The Model Customs Collectorate Quetta collected Rs22.9 billion during the financial year 2017-18 surpassing annual target of Rs18.136 billion set for the financial year and registered significant growth of 42 percent in revenue collection against collection of Rs16 billion previous year.
Collector Quetta, Ashraf Ali said, “We have successfully surpassed our annual target and collected additional amount of Rs4,764 million”. He said that customs duty collection rose to Rs8,984 million and sales tax to Rs9,785 million exceeding the respective annual targets of Rs7,016 million and Rs8,066 million.
Similarly against the withholding/Income tax target of Rs2,756 million, the Model Customs Collectorate Quetta collected Rs3,758 million. The Federal Excise Duty (FED) collection was Rs372 million against the annual target of Rs298 million.
The collector informed that the unprecedented revenue collection had been made possible due to enhanced surveillance on clearances at Customs Stations Taftan, Chaman and NLC Dry Port Quetta, facilitating bona fide trade, strengthening of Customs Check Posts en-route and speedy disposal of seized goods and vehicles through auctions.
He further asserted that an amount of Rs1,491 million was realized on account of disposal of seized goods/vehicles during the year. He further stated that concerted anti-smuggling efforts led to impounding of 871 non-duty paid vehicles, seizure of miscellaneous goods and foreign origin diesel/petrol worth more than Rs1,945 million as compared to Rs1,350 million seizures effected during the corresponding period of the last financial year registering increase by 44 percent. Three thousand kg of narcotics having value more than Rs50 million were also seized during the year.
Collector stated that MCC Quetta had planned to expand the reach of Customs controls to inaccessible areas by establishing new Customs stations at Badini, Qamar-ud-din Karez and Ghaznali on the Pak Afghan Border.
Further efforts are also underway to improve the quality of Customs clearances through enhanced internal controls, making the Customs processes transparent, the use of technology for speedy clearances of goods, expanding the coverage of the Customs Computerized System (WeBOC) for providing a secure business environment. In this regard, high speed internet has been installed at Custom House, Chaman and Taftan. He asserted that in the near future, all import and export clearances will be shifted to paperless WeBOC System even at Customs Stations situated in far flung areas.
The Collector appreciated the efforts of his team who made surpassing of the revenue collection target by a wide margin, possible.