KARACHI: The importers have decided to form a bloc in order to raise their concerns pertaining to the examination process at Qasim International Containers’ Terminal (QICT) before the authorities of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
Sources informed Customs Today that a group of importers has decided to send their complaints and issues on their companies’ letter-heads to the Chief Collector Appraisement-South, Nasir Masroor Ahmed.
Sources further disclosed that a delegation of importers also planned to visit FBR Headquarters in Islamabad in order to meet Chairman FBR Tariq Bajwa and Member Customs Nisar Muhammad Khan to apprised them about the unjustified acts being continued by the customs officials of MCC-Port Muhammad Bin Qasim during the examination process.
Talking to Customs Today, the importers were of the view that they main issue was that the authorities concerned of MCC-Port Muhammad Bin Qasim do not “allow” the importers’ representatives to look after their imported items during examination, which causes colossal loss to them because the labor at QICT was damaging the imported items through mishandling.
They further said that the cost of doing business was being escalating due to the mishandling of the imported items by the labor, as they did not know how to handle the fragile goods.
They further said that the items are being misplaced during the examination process due to absence of importers’ representatives in the examination premises which puts an extra burden on the pockets of the importers, adding that delay in the examination process due to incompetency of the terminal and customs staffers were also affecting the trade facilities.
“If permission is being granted by the authorities concerned of MCC Appraisement-West and MCC Appraisement-East to the importers’ representatives during examination process, so why the authorities concerned of MCC-Port Muhammad Bin Qasim are reluctant to offer such facility to them”, they questioned.
The sources informed this scribe that the importers’ delegation has prepared a detail document in this regard which it will present before the Chairman FBR and Member Customs during the meeting in Islamabad.
When contacted, the additional collector of MCC-Port Muhammad Bin Qasim has made it clear that the authorities concerned of the collectorate has allowed the presence of importers’ representative during the examination of perishable and fragile imported items, but no such facility being provided in case of any other items for instance machinery, spare parts and other such kind of items.
Responding to a query, the additional collector said that the top most priority of the customs authorities to ensure proper facilitation to the trade and introduction of WeBOC, computerized system for filing Goods Declaration is an open evidence of all such efforts.
“The authorities concerned of MCC-Port Muhammad Bin Qasim are determined to end the culture of interaction between the importers and the staffers of customs examination and terminal operators in order to make the entire process of examination transparent”, he added.
