28 March 2004	Sunday	06 Safar 1425

PESHAWAR, March 27: The customs collectorate, Peshawar, has utilized the current financial year's budgetary allocation for payment against exporters' claims of duty rebate, officials said.

The collectorate, said the officials, had set a budgetary allocation of about Rs500 million for the payment of refund against exporters' claims for rebate during the financial year 2003-04.

However, the budgetary allocation stood utilized by the end of first seven months was due to unprecedented boost in exports to Afghanistan.

The situation, added the officials, required the customs collectorate, Peshawar, to make appropriate arrangements to refund the amount of rebate during the remaining period of the current fiscal year.

The customs collectorate recorded an all time high exports of goods to Afghanistan involving a total value of over Rs25 billion during the July-February period of the current financial year.

Out of the total exports to Afghanistan via land routes of NWFP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), commodities of the market value of about Rs4 billion involved rebate. While total exports figures recorded a sharp increase in comparison with the last financial year, the commodities involving rebate also recorded a substantial increase in comparison with the position recorded in the corresponding period of the last financial year.

Of the total goods worth Rs9 billion exported to Afghanistan during first seven months of the last financial year, the value of goods involving rebate stood at Rs1.2 billion.

In this way, the quantum of goods involving rebate has also recorded substantial increase this time round in comparison with the position of the corresponding period of the last financial year.

The officials said that after the allocated funds of refund payment had already been exhausted, the authorities concerned would need to arrange more funds to make payments against exporters' claims in the near future.

"Refund claims involving a total of about Rs100 million are currently under process with the authorities concerned trying to dispose them of by arranging the required amount of funds through in-house arrangements," said an official.

The officials said that refund against rebate over and above the stipulated budgetary allocation had impacted negatively to the figures of the net revenue receipts of the customs collectorate, Peshawar.

"The more it would pay refund the more its net revenue receipts would undergo negative impact," said an officer.