May 7, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 4, 1424

KARACHI, May 6: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) plans to extend the Pakistan Goods Declaration (PGD) to other collectorates from July this year.

It has been decided by the CBR following the successful experiment of the single administrative document, which replaces half a dozen customs clearance documents, at Port Muhammad Bin Qasim.

The format of PGD was reviewed and improved in the light of suggestions received from various collectorates at a high level meeting of customs collectors from all over the country held at the Port Qasim Collectorate recently.

The Collector, Port Qasim, Amir Marwat, briefed the participants about the success of the PGD as a pilot project at Port Qasim. He said that the PGD has replaced various customs documents like bill of entry for home consumption, in-bond and ex-bond, safe transportation, shipping bill, baggage declaration and transshipment permit.

The document is standardized and harmonized with the customs declaration fromats adopted the world over. The PGD will ensure that the data collected by Pakistan Customs is more accurate and systematic and it has gone a long way in streamlining, and simplifying customs clearance procedures.

A representative of National Trade and Transport Facilitation Committee gave detailed background of the PGD. He said that the document was universally accepted document and has been developed in accordance with the UN designed layout.

The senior project manager of Pakistan Revenue Automation Ltd (PRAL) informed the participants that initially the stakeholders at Port Qasim were provided the facility of help desk but the users prepare the PGD on their own computers. He said that about 2500 copies of PGD CDs have been distributed free of cost among the users.