KARACHI: In order to discourage pilferage and replacement of transshipment cargo (TP), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has made it mandatory for the importer or his authorized clearing agent to provide complete details of goods while filing TP Goods Declaration.
The FBR vide SRO 537(I)/2015 amended the Customs Rules 2001 making it mandatory for the importer/clearing agent to provide true declaration of goods in terms of Section 79 of the Customs Act, 1969, which provides filing a true declaration of goods, giving therein complete and correct particulars of goods, duly supported by commercial invoice, bill of lading or airway bill, packing list or any other document required for clearance of such goods in such form and manner as the Board may prescribe.
Accordingly, trader or his authorized clearing agent shall file TP at Port of Entry and TP-GD shall include HS Code wise items information with detailed description; item quantity, UOM, unit value, import value and total value.
Moreover, complete financial information like payment terms, delivery term, currency, FoB value, CFR value, freight, insurance, landing, assessed and exchange rate etc. as required along with examination shed at Port of Entry and destination collectorate and its terminal/shed would also be required.
The importer or agent shall also provide details about registered bonded carrier for transportation; CESS Payment at bank under the jurisdiction of port of entry; selectivity criteria on banned PCTs or vehicles; examination of GDs/containers selected through selectivity criteria or banned items.
Trader or his authorized clearing agent shall file GD on TP at Port of Destination which would include Gate-in from dry port terminal operator at Port of Destination; De-Sealing and GD Filing whereas trader or his authorized clearing agent shall fetch TP information through BL number and submit GD.
These amendments appeared after the detection of large scale pilferage and replacement of TP cargo, which according to estimates has inflicted huge loss on national revenue.
Bonded carriers have appreciated the new mechanism of transshipment cargo. It has been known that the importers in nexus with the drivers of vehicles pilfered and replaced the cargo while the FIRs were lodged against the bonded carriers.
The agents at dryports resort to under invoicing.
Bonded carriers have urged the authorities to expedite the process of installing trackers in the transshipment cargo containers/trailers as the smuggling was a menace plaguing the national economy.
It may be mentioned here that several importers/clearing agents used to declare their imported consignments under single PCT such as electronics instead of detailed declaration while filing the TP-GD. The actual goods in the containers comprising high value goods attracting high rates of duty/tax were then replaced with low valued goods attracting lower taxes.
As the TP-GD mentioned single PCT for example PCT for electronics; the replaced goods were cleared on payment of duty and taxes while the high valued goods were pilfered into the local markets without payment of government’s legitimate revenue.
Now, all the details would be required at port of entry and this process of smuggling would be discouraged.