ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: The Model Customs Collectorate, Karachi has collected Rs9 billion on clearance of 17,018 consignments at import stage during the last six months of the calendar year 2005.
The collectorate working as part of customs administration reform (CARE) project since its launch on May 10, 2005 cleared cargo imported on 192 vessels, which comprised of 17,018 consignments brought in 77,663 containers.
While the revenue collected on these consignments come slightly above Rs9 billion. Of this customs duty stood at Rs4.1 billion, sales tax Rs3.6 billion, CVT Rs1.268 billion and Federal Excise Rs0.1 billion.
This was stated by the Collector (Appraisement) and Model Customs Collectorate, Karachi, Azhar Majid Khalid in a briefing with collectors of customs here on Monday.
He apprised that on account of under-invoicing, the collectorate has recovered Rs301.49 million and also instituted 53 cases of mis-declaration of description and quality involving revenue to the tune of Rs38.5 million.
The collector informed that all import-related functions were now operational and exports were also now being dealt in the collectorate. He stated that for convenience of traders two more branches of National Bank of Pakistan had been made operational to collect duty and taxes nearest to their business places.
He also informed that more NBP branches would be operational at Karachi and staff of NBP branches at Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Islamabad and Sialkot had been trained by CARE officers and these branches would become operational very soon.
Mr Majid said that the customs clearance time for import consignments had been reduced to below 14 hours as compared to non-Pakistan Customs computerized System (PACCS) imports which take 168 hours on average.
Further, he said, the average delivery time had been reduced from 11 days to 5 days. He also claimed that by introducing PACCS, Customs Department had completely overcome the menace of corruption and misuse of discretion.
To remove the cumbersome procedure for clearance of cars which was causing delays and corruption, he said the government had already made certain significant changes in the import policy and now customs had to clear the cars without raising irrelevant and flimsy objections.