KARACHI: Jamil Nasir Chief Collector of Customs Appraisement Karachi informed that the Faceless Assessment System (FAS) is being implemented from 15th of December, 2024.
All the goods declarations filed after 12.00 AM shall be routed to the Central Appraising Unit (CAU), recently established at South Asia Pakistan Terminal.
FBR had issued CGO No.6 of 2024 for the establishment of said unit. Elaborating on the rationale and intended outcomes of the said system, Mr. Nasir said that FAS is in a sense continuation of the reforms process in the Customs aimed at trade facilitation and reduction in interaction between the tax collector and taxpayer.
Introduction of FAS is expected to bring about a paradigm shift in the overall culture and working of the Customs department. It would facilitate trade by reducing the clearance time, would induce efficiency and transparency in assessments, and would increase revenue collection, he emphasized.
Once the pilot project succeeds at Karachi, it would be rolled out in the entire country and the appraisement function would be relocated outside the Customs Collectorate in a corporate environment where Assistant and Deputy Collectors would also be relocated to conduct e-hearing of reviews and in this way, interaction between the tax collectors and tax payers would almost be eliminated.
Resultantly, time of the traders and businessmen, which they spend in visiting the public offices, would be saved and Customs would also be able to optimize the productivity of its scarce human resource. It would be a win-win situation for the Customs as well as trade. All the arrangements have already been finalized for the sitting of appraisers and principal appraisers in a sanitized environment and postings of 55 officers including DC (MIS) have already been ordered. The officers posted in the CAU shall report at SAPT on Monday morning at 9:00 AM.
For increasing productivity and accountability of the customs appraising officers, an incentive mechanism has been incorporated in the system. The officers who perform their duties with diligence and integrity would be rewarded by the system and there would be no discretion even with the senior supervisory officers in the determination of the reward amount.
The data of performance and productivity of the appraisers developed in the system over time may be used for their promotion and career progression. This is beginning of a new phase of reforms in the Customs and several other reforms shall follow soon, the Chief Collector emphasized.
For example, the regime of Customs Clearing agents has also been revamped and point scoring system is being introduced to make them responsible for quality declarations, Under the point system, those agents who would give true declarations of value and origin etc. shall be rewarded as their profile would improve resulting in more business and clients for them. On the contrary, the Customs agents who fail to show improvements in declarations, would lose points and eventually their licence may be cancelled, he said.
Moreover, FBR has notified transfers and postings of officers accordingly.
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced a significant reshuffling within the Pakistan Customs Service. The latest transfer and postings order has reassigned several key officers to new positions in a strategic move aimed at enhancing efficiency and effectiveness within the department.
Among the notable transfers, Mr. Mohammad Rehan Akram, previously serving as the Additional Director at the Customs Academy of Pakistan (CAP) in Islamabad, has been appointed as the Additional Director of the Directorate of Customs Valuation in Quetta. Ms. Khansa Mahmood Chaudhry, formerly the Additional Director of Internal Audit-North (Customs) in Islamabad, will now take over as the Additional Director at the CAP in Islamabad.
Dr. Tahir Iqbal Khattak, who was the Additional Director at the Directorate of Transit Trade in Peshawar, has been given the additional charge of the post of Additional Collector at the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement in Peshawar, along with his existing duties.
In another key posting, Mr. Sajid Khan has been reassigned from his role as Deputy Director at the Directorate of Post Clearance Audit (North) in Islamabad to Deputy Collector at the Collectorate of Customs Appraisement in Peshawar. Similarly, Ms. Promela Jacob will move from the Directorate General of Customs Valuation in Karachi to become the Deputy Collector at the Collectorate of Customs Appraisement in South Asia Pakistan Terminal (SAPT), Custom House, Karachi.
Additional changes include Mr. Waqar Ahmed, who will transition from Deputy Director at the Directorate of Post Clearance Audit (South) in Karachi to Deputy Collector at the Collectorate of Customs (Exports) in Karachi. Ms. Mehreen Tahir will move from the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement in Islamabad to the Collectorate of IOCO in Islamabad.
The reshuffle also affects Mr. Syed Shaheer Raza, who will now hold additional responsibilities as Deputy Collector at the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement in Peshawar, alongside his role at the Directorate of National Nuclear Detection Architecture (NNDA) in Peshawar.
Further, Mr. Syed Imtiaz Hussain, previously with the Collectorate of Customs in Gilgit-Baltistan, will now serve at the Collectorate of Customs Appraisement in SAPT, Karachi. Mr. Muhammad Usman Ashraf will switch roles from the Collectorate of IOCO in Islamabad to the Collectorate of Customs in Gilgit-Baltistan, taking on additional duties at the Directorate of Transit Trade and DNFBPs, stationed in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Lastly, Ms. Shazra Saeed, formerly the Assistant Collector at the Collectorate of Customs Appraisement in SAPT, Karachi, will now serve as the Assistant Collector at the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement in Islamabad.
These changes reflect the FBR’s ongoing commitment to optimize its operations and ensure that the right talent is placed in strategic positions across the board.
More transfers and postings
Amir Shuja has been reassigned from handling Group-II & V, Adjudication (PA Level), and Post Release Verification (PRV), to overseeing Group-III & IV, Adjudication (PA Level), PRV, and the Refund Cell. Imtiaz Hussain Khan is taking up a new role, moving from his responsibilities in Auction, Law Section (Supreme Court, High Court, Appellate Tribunal & Collector Appeal), to Group-II & VIII, while maintaining his duties in Auction and Law Section.
Imran Aslam Gul transitions from his previous assignment in Group-VII & VIII, FTA Cell, User-ID, Bank Guarantee Cell (BG Cell), PM Portal, and Recovery Cell, to Group-VI & VII, R&D, User-ID, BG Cell, and PM Portal. Nadeem Ur Rehman will now manage Group-I & V, Oil Section, One Customs, Audit (Internal & External), Warehousing, and Pre-Refund Audit, a shift from his former duties in Group-I and related sections.
Noman Manzoor and Mir Asif Ali have both been moved to Group-I & II, covering Oil Section, PRV, One Customs, and additional cells. Manzoor previously worked in the Oil Section and Group-I, while Ali was in Oil Section and Group-II. Hamza Sohail is taking on a new challenge, moving from Group-III, PM Portal, AO HQs, and Statistical Section to Group-IV & VII, AO HQs, FTA Cell, and Statistical Section.
Saud Ali Akhtar’s new responsibilities will encompass Group-IV, VI & VII, R&D, MIS-I & II, Refund Cell, PCT Classification Committee, FTO, and CHO, a change from his previous role in Group-IV & VIII. Ibrahim Khalil will now focus on Group-III & V, Pre-Refund Audit, Warehousing, Law Section, DTRE, and Statistical Section, transitioning from Group-III.
Mubashar Munawar is assigned to Group-V & VI, taking on roles in Recovery Cell, Warehousing, and Audit (Internal & External), moving from Group-V. Lastly, Maira Gulrez will now manage Group-III & VIII, overseeing Law Section, Audit, Recovery Cell, and Refund Cell, a change from her duties in Group-III.
These strategic moves by the FBR aim to optimize the department’s functionality and ensure effective management across various sections.
It may be mentioned here that all these officers and officials will deal with the paper work such as litigation and adjudication etc, while staff posted at CAU will do the assessment work.