KARACHI, March 21: The collectorate of appraisement has bagged higher revenue during the first eight months (July to Feb) of the current fiscal year at Rs86.167 billion or 34.56 per cent more over the corresponding period last year when collection stood at Rs64.035 billion.

The higher revenue collection was made possible after the collector of appraisement and his team detected under-invoicing and misdeclarations which were causing huge revenue leakages, official sources said. During the period under review, the customs staff at the collectorate also made strict examination of all consignments, generating higher revenue to the national exchequer.

However, the salient feature of higher collection of revenue had been the unearthing of illegal removal of containers from the off-port container terminals which had been causing massive revenue loss to the national kitty.

The appraisement staff had been put on alert to monitor such movement of containers from off-port terminal which had been going on for long, official sources told Dawn.

Sources said that terminal operators, with the connivance of customs staff deployed at off-port terminals, used to sneak away a large number of containers without examination, thereby causing millions of rupees in revenue loss to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

Customs officials also detected such incidents wherein containers at the off-port terminals were de-stuffed and after removing high tariff goods were put for examination to evade duty and taxes.

According to official figures, collection of customs duty at collectorate recorded 34.80 per cent increase at Rs32.956 billion over the corresponding period last fiscal year when collection stood at Rs24.447 billion.

Similarly, sales tax collection stood higher by 38.36 per cent at Rs41.660 billion as against Rs30.108 billion collected in the same period last year.

The income tax at customs stage soared by 40.91 per cent at Rs11.371 billion compared to Rs8.069 billion collected in the corresponding period last year.

The customs officials recently detected a big scam. PVC scrap on the order of the Sindh High court was banned from imports. However, a gang engaged in this trade in order to dodge the customs officials initially shifted the clearance of PVC scrap import to dry ports.

The Collector of Customs North, however, took serious notice of the development and forcefully implemented the SHC orders by confiscating such consignments of PVC scrap, customs official said.

The gang involved in illegal imports immediately brought a change in their modus operandi and began to import PVC scrap through Afghan Transit Trade (ATT).

Sources said that the PVC scrap importers for a good time kept using ATT channel for illegal imports and used to de-stuff containers loaded with scrap and load the same with rice, wheat, sugar etc for onward haulage to Afghanistan.

It is interesting that the gang used to de-seal containers before crossing Pakistan-Afghan border and thereafter seal it back after loading it with commodities badly needed in Afghanistan.