KARACHI: The Customs duty collection by Pakistan Customs surged by 22.6 percent to Rs141.052 billion during seven months ended January 31, 2015 as compared with the collection of Rs115.866 billion in the same period last year as all the Collectorates posted growth in revenue collection.
Similarly, Customs duty collection by Pakistan Customs MCC south region surged by 22.3 percent to Rs115.077 billion during seven months i.e. July 01, 2014 to January 31, 2015 as compared with the collection of Rs94.504 billion in the same period last year.
An official said that FBR assigned targets to Customs for the purpose of preparing for the budget. “It does not mean that Customs had any obligation to achieve these targets by any means. These are just benchmarks set on the basis of previous collections,” he said.
Besides, Pakistan had made several commitments with the donor agencies to meet certain standards and setting targets was a way forward in that direction, he said adding that revenue collection targets were often revised given the unfavorable and recession like circumstances.
Official said that well reputed officers had been posted on key positions due to which under-invoicing, mis-declaration and misuse of concessionary SROs had been reduced to a much extent. It may be mentioned here that the entire month of January is observed as holidays; and China is the major trading partner of Pakistan.
Overall sales tax collection at import stage stood Rs283.576 billion during the period under review, up 9.26 percent as against Rs259.731 billion in the same period last year.
Appraisement South collection of sales tax at import stage stood at Rs238.227 billion, up 8.18 percent as against Rs220.220 collected last year in the similar seven months.
Income tax collected by Pakistan Customs during the seven-month period stood at Rs79.814 billion as compared with Rs72.176 billion last year. Appraisement South collected Income tax of Rs68.677 billion in the seven-month period ended January 31, 2015 as against Rs62.159 billion collected in the same period last year.
Highest revenue collection in terms of Customs duty came from MCC Appraisement West, which collected Rs41.045 billion followed by MCC Port Qasim collecting Rs32.676 billion and MCC Appraisement East collecting Rs32.824 billion in the seven months ended January 31, 2015.
For the 7-month period ended January 31, 2014, MCC Rawalpindi CD collection stood at Rs2.234 billion compared with Rs879 million collected in same period last year i.e. (7MFY15); MCC Lahore CD collection stood at Rs22.258 billion (Rs10.219 billion in 7MFY15); MCC Islamabad CD collection Rs872 million (Rs735 million 7MFY15); MCC Peshawar CD Rs2.920 billion (Rs2.845 billion 7MFY15); MCC Multan CD collection Rs4.822 billion (Rs5.562 billion 7MFY15); MCC Hyderabad CD collection Rs995 million (Rs1.713 billion 7MFY15); MCC Quetta CD collection Rs495 million (Rs259 million 7MFY15); MCC Karachi preventive CD collection Rs6.96 billion (Rs5.697 billion 7MFY15); MCC Karachi EPZ-Imports CD collection stood at Rs82 million (Rs71 million 7MFY15); MCC Sialkot CD collection Rs70 million (Rs192 million 7MFY15) and MCC Faisalabad customs duty collection in 7MFY15stood at Rs914 million compared with Rs2.348 billion collected in 7MFY15.