KARACHI, March 14: The Customs Administrative Reforms (CARE) system being implemented from March 23, 2005 will revolutionize the clearance of goods at the Karachi Customs as it will help reduce cost and time for clearance to a great extent.

This was stated by CARE Collector Azhar Khalid Majeed at a seminar on “Customs Administration Reforms”, organized by Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (Prgmea) on Saturday at a local hotel.

He said the new system represented a major step forward that dealt with the increasing flow of cargo in and out of the country. The basic objective of this system was to ensure expeditious clearance of cargo in the most efficient and simple manner.

The collector said that government had approved the new legislative reforms, and CBR was making the DTRE scheme compatible with the CARE. In this connection the revised scheme had been amended in line with automation under the CARE project.

Prgmea chairman Dawood Usman Jakura noted that a series of measures taken by government in bringing about the reforms at various stages of the tax collection has started producing results.

However, he urged that SRO410 which was extended up to June 2005 should be adopted indefinitely and allowed to work parallel to DTRE scheme till the SMEs were fully conversant and familiar with the new scheme.

Member CBR (Customs) Ramzan Bhatti assured that the problems faced by the business community due to lengthy and complex customs clearance would be over with the introduction of CARE.