MULTAN, May 24th: Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry(MCCI)’s President
Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi urged the Collector of Customs (MCC) Multan Saud Imran
Ahmed to simplify the issuance of rebate
Cheques of leather products within ten
days like Karachi and double wharfage system must be abolished for the survival
of dry ports and a Help Desk of
Customs be established at Multan
Chamber to facilitate our members and
provide them the required informations.Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi also expressed
deep concern over extra ordinary delays in the clearance of consignment in
WeBOC system which was causing huge financial losses and misuse of power by
concerned officials is spreading discontentment and harassment.The response
time for the WEBOC server is very slow, and thus require an upgrade. He voiced
for Automation of database instead of manual clearance and maximum examination
should be 3 days and thereafter, demurrages be waived off. He said that the
customs department is striving to make the Web Based One Custom (WeBOC) more
familiar with the stakeholders and the customs officials are always available
to resolve their problems related to the system.Roomi demanded that customs clearance timing at dry
ports should be uniform and be fixed in consonance with Karachi ports which
operate for 24 hours. He demanded that the import trade price should be uniform
as there is large difference in import trade policy from port to port. He also
demanded that customs felicitation services including PRAL timings at dry ports
be uniform and the receiving of documents and clearance custom facilities be
extended till midnight.
MCCI President said that the wharfage initially paid at
Dry Ports is again charged at Karachi sea ports. He said that charges Rs 4626,
KICT Rs 5010 and QICT Rs 4563 for 40 ft
container from dry ports as Receiving/Delivery/ Operation charges, although the
containers of dry ports are driven straight from the gate to the ready stock
(bonded area) and do not pass through the process adopted by the sea ports.
Hence, their charges from dry ports are unjustifiable.He demanded that these
charges of sea ports should be eliminated in case of dry ports cargo COllector
Customs of Model Custonms Collectorate Multan Saud Imran Ahmed said that the government is fully aware of the
problems being confronted by dry ports and is keen to improve the export/import
activities at the dry ports to reduce the rush of cargo at sea ports of the
country.He said, “there are some difficulties but we are trying to resolve it,
the department is doing its best to make this system state-of-the-art in real terms.”
He further said the customs authorities have also agreed to eliminate all
lengthy procedures to obtain the user ID and password for WeBOC. Moreover, he
said the authority has also decided to make payment of duty and taxes as per
valuation rulings mandatory for stakeholders and would penalise the good
declarants and custom officials in case of its violation. Regarding the two
holidays in a week, Collector said that it is a Federal Government decision.He
said Customs Collectorate Multan has collected Rs3162.038 millions revenue
during the first twenty days of May current fiscal year. Collectorate of Multan
Customs collected Rs772.203 million under the head of customs duty from 1st May
to 20th May. On the other side, Federal Board of Revenue has allotted customs
duty revenue collection target of Rs903.480 million to Multan Customs
Collectorate for the month of May. The Customs Collectorate has attained 85% of
the assigned revenue collection target of customs duty during the first 20 days
of May. Multan Customs is tackling with huge collection task of customs duty
and Collectorate has managed to collect their major part during the first 20
days and remaining customs duty will be collected in the remaining days of the
month.He further said that Customs
Collectorate has made collection of Rs2375.717 million in the first 20 days of
May. The Federal Board of Revenue has set the sales tax collection target of
Rs4451 million in the first 20 days for the May. Multan Customs is facing
shortfall in the revenue collection of sales tax reduced collection in the
sales taxes due to decrease in the import clearances at the Multan Dry Port.The
collection of sales taxes at the Multan Customs Collectorate is also facing
constant decline due to drop in the clearances of HSD products from Multan Dry
Port.Multan Customs has made the collection of Rs8.104 million under the head
of federal excise duty (FED) in the
first 20 days of the May against the given revenue task of Rs15 million for
whole month of May .The Customs Collectorate Multan has collected Rs8.14
million of income tax against the assigned task of Rs20 million for the month
of May in the first 20 days of May of the on-going financial year 2016-17.
Collector Customs was hopeful that they will achieve assigned collection task
for the month of May in the remaining days of May due to their adopted
strategy.
