The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced the implementation of a Faceless Customs Assessment system through a Centralized Assessment Unit. Sharjeel Jamal, Convenor of the FPCCI Trade and Facilitation Committee, highlighted that this initiative is a revival of a 15-year-old project initially launched under PaCCS. Despite its initial success, the project was hindered by certain vested interests within the Customs bureaucracy.
Jamal expressed concerns about the lack of experience among the officers assigned to run the new system. He suggested that officers who previously worked with PaCCS should be identified and posted to the new system due to their expertise. He criticized the current WeBOC and PSW systems, stating they lack the necessary capabilities.
He pointed out that the existing Risk Management System (RMS), which categorizes importers’ NTN into green, yellow, or red categories, is inefficient. Modern systems, he explained, profile ports of loading and suppliers to identify risks, such as smuggling or under-invoicing, which the current RMS fails to do.
Jamal called for amendments to the Customs Act to eliminate the numerous collectorates and directorates, which he believes are created to accommodate officers and add unnecessary burden on national resources. He emphasized that the faceless system should succeed and not repeat past failures.
An official added that the FBR should allocate a budget for Customs affairs, including incentives and rewards, coupled with strict accountability measures to combat corruption.