KARACHI: The Faceless Customs Assessment system assessed over 5,500 Goods Declarations (GDs) and cleared through the newly launched Faceless Customs Assessment (FCA) System by the night of 23rd December, addressing a press conference, Chief Collector South Nasir Jameel, said.
Collector Appraisement East Azhar Merchant, Collector Appraisement West and HQ, Naveed Ilahi and Deputy Collector Muhammad Adnan were also present on the occasion.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) introduced this system on 15th December, and it has quickly become fully operational, showing promising results.
The four Appraisement Collectorates of Karachi are now being assessed at the central appraising unit (CAU) established at SAPT, effectively clearing the backlog. Officers at the CAU have been working tirelessly from 9:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M., and on some days until midnight, to ensure timely assessment and clearance of consignments. Jamil Nasir, Chief Collector of Appraisement, highlighted the system’s success during a media talk at SAPT.
Trade facilitation is on the rise, and clearance times are decreasing daily. Preliminary analysis indicates that the average dwell time has reduced from 5 days to 3 days, with further reductions expected. The need for unnecessary document examination calls has significantly decreased compared to the pre-FCA period. Previously, 25 to 30% of GDs required document calls for completion, but now only 370 GDs were called against 2,000 in the week prior to the FCA launch. Additionally, physical examination referrals have dropped to just 1%.
The system’s effectiveness is reflected in the revenue growth, with no observed dip due to the new system’s operationalization. The Appraisement South Collectorates have collected Rs. 61.2 billion in customs duty against Rs. 46.6 billion during the same period last year. Overall duty and tax collection stands at approximately Rs. 204 billion, compared to Rs. 170 billion during the same 23-day period last year.
The FCA System is designed to be impersonal and non-discriminatory, ensuring that those conducting clean business benefit from faster clearance without additional costs. However, it also creates a clear distinction between gainers and losers. Privilege-mongers, colluders, and queue breakers are at a disadvantage, as the system strictly adheres to the “first in first out (FIFO)” principle. Those who previously bypassed the queue through undue influence are now the losers, as emphasized by Mr. Nasir.
This trend is encouraging and demonstrates that the FCA System’s intended objectives are being met, promising a more efficient and transparent customs clearance process for Karachi.