ISLAMABAD, June 11: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has notified the lists of goods for duty exemption on import from Sri Lanka under the free trade agreement (FTA), which will become effective from Sunday (June 12).

Through a customs notification SRO 570 of 2005 released here on Saturday, the goods were classified under three tables, i.e. Table I (211 items with HS Code for duty exemption), Table II (29 items with TRQs) and Table III (No concession in duty).

The notification reads as the federal government is pleased to exempt on import into Pakistan from Sri Lanka, if made in conformity with the “rules of Determination of Origin of Goods under the Free Trade Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Pakistan-Sri Lanka FTA Rules of Origin)” and the operating “Certification Procedures for the Rules of Origin”, notified by the ministry of commerce: a) the goods specified in column (3) of Table I in SRO570 of 2005, falling under the Heading and sub-Heading numbers of the First Schedule to the said Act as specified in column (2) of Table-I, from so much of the customs-duty specified in the First Schedule to the said Act as is in excess of the rates specified in column (4) of Table-I; b) the goods specified in column (3) of Table II of the same notification, falling under the Heading and sub-Heading numbers of the First Schedule to the said Act as specified in column (2) of Table-II, for the quantities specified in column (4) thereof, from so much of the customs-duty specified in the First Schedule to the said Act as is in excess of the rates specified in column (5) of Table II; and c) all the goods other than those specified in column (3) of Table-III, falling under the Heading and sub-Heading numbers of the First Schedule to the said Act as specified in column (2) of Table-III, from thirty four per cent (34 per cent) of the customs duty specified in the First Schedule to the said Act.

CERTIFICATES: The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), in order to make the FTA operational, will start issuing certificates of origin in this regard from Monday, sources said.