KARACHI: Customs officers stationed at Karachi’s Central Assessment Unit (CAU) have once again raised concerns about their prolonged working hours. They report that their shifts last for 12 hours, and with an additional 2 hours spent commuting, their effective duty hours extend to 14 hours daily.
A previous notification had introduced shift-based assignments for appraising officers, but this arrangement only lasted a few days. The officers are now back to enduring the lengthy 12-hour shifts without any additional compensation for what they describe as “inhumane” working conditions.
In a move to reform the tax system, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) recently implemented the Faceless Customs Assessment (FCA) System in Karachi. This initiative is a key element of the FBR Transformation Plan, which was recently approved by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The transformation plan aims to digitalize business processes to improve tax collection documentation.
An official announcement stated that all import goods declarations filed in Karachi’s Appraisement Collectorates would now be assessed at the Central Appraising Unit (CAU), located at South Asia Pakistan Terminal Karachi, under the new FCA system.