KARACHI: “Customs’ job is to eliminate under-invoicing and mis-declaration, so that revenue leakage can be avoided,” Member Customs (Operations) Owais Agha Jawwad said, and therefore, Pakistan Customs has implemented measures to plug all loopholes. [the_ad id=”32940″] A crackdown is launched against mis-declaration and under-invoicing while examination of imported consignments has been increased.
Collector MCC Port Qasim Mumtaz Khoso referred 40 consignments for reexamination, while MCC Appraisement West posted Deputy Collector Falik Sher on examination at KICT, who is a very reputed and competent officer. Collector MCC Appraisement East Nadeem Memon has instructed R&D Section to tighten monitoring and vigilance of import consignments.
Member Customs (Operations), Owais Agha Jawwad had week-long meetings and briefings in Southern Region. He held meetings with Director General Customs Valuation, Karachi; Chief Collector Enforcement in Karachi and Chief Collector Appraisement South.
Member Customs advised tightened examination of imported consignments particularly those prone of mis-declaration and under-invoicing. He also advised random examination of consignments being cleared through Green Channel. It may be mentioned here that Green Channel facility was largely misused in the past causing huge revenue and economic loss to the country.
Member Customs advised MCC Preventive to take effective anti-smuggling measures and improve intelligence network.
During his meetings with Chief Collector Quetta, Owais Agha Jawwad said all Customs Houses and stations would be linked to WeBOC and other latest system in order to facilitate tax payers and business community in the remote and far flung areas of Baluchistan.
In order to mobilize newly established Chief Collectorate set up in Quetta, Member Customs (Operations) addressed a Zonal Conference, which was attended by Chief Collector of Quetta Collectorate Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Chudhry, Collector Appraisement Quetta Raza Baloch, Collector Preventive Iftikhar Ali, Collector Gwadar Yaqoob Mako and Collector Hyderabad Khalid Jamali.
The main agenda of the conference was to review the revenue analysis, discuss strategy to achieve targets in the coming months, challenges after formation of Chief Collectorate Office and the way forward.
Member Customs highlighted the various steps taxation and duties and related activities initiated by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). Import, export, Customs clearance, local valuation committee, transportation, WeBOC, Plant Protection and other issues were also discussed.
Member Customs was informed that MCC Appraisement East/West are likely to miss the revenue collection target as import of used cars had almost stopped after government linked the vehicles’ import with payment of duty/tax in foreign exchange. He was also informed that the vehicle import had almost stopped and the Car Carrier vessels are not likely to come to Pakistan.