KARACHI, May 21: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has introduced new features in the Web-Based One Customs (WeBOC), the software for customs auto-clearance, wherein exporters would have access to their profile.

The Pakistan Revenue Automation Ltd (PRAL), which indigenously developed the auto-clearance system of WeBOC, is gradually enhancing its features to facilitate exporters at each stage of clearance, such as knowing about the status of rebate payments.

Speaking at a seminar, organized by exporters’ bodies, Mr Arshad Hussain, an expert in PRAL information technology said that the new features would have full profile of each category of exporters which would enable the exporters to know online the status of customs rebate.

This would mean that every exporter would get the rebate statement based on volume of exports and even pending amount towards customs rebate payments would be disclosed.The new feature would also link it with e-banking to directly know the status of cheques paid towards customs rebate and also disclose details on which Goods Declaration (GD) had been cleared.

Mr Hussain, who was assisted by Ghazeem Niazi said that since GDs give full details of consignments, in the near future Weboc software would also have features to clear LCL (Loose Container Load) and FCL (Full Container Load) at Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT) and Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT).

Similarly, he said that dry port cargo would also be cleared through WeBOC auto-clearance system at PICT and KICT.

The shipping lines, he said, issue MR (Made Receipt) which declares that cargo had been loaded from Pakistan.

However, after adding new features in WeBOC software, this would allow terminal operators to issue LCL and FCL receipts to certify that such categories of cargoes had been loaded from Pakistani ports.

Speaking on behalf of exporters, M Jawed Bilwani said that it was encouraging that PRAL had developed its own software for auto-clearance of external trade (imports and exports) and in due course, it would improve because there was no dispute of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) as had been in the case of PaCCS system which was owned by a foreign company.