PESHAWAR: Criticizing the imposition of 30 percent valuation duty on 33 imported goods coming from Afghanistan through Torkham border, Chairman Khyber Frontier Customs Agents groups and Director Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and industry asked Collector Custom Peshawar and FBR to review the decision and lessen the ratio of valuation duty up to 10-15 percent.
In this connection a meeting of local valuation committee was held in Customs House Peshawar under the chairmanship of Deputy Collector Custom. The meeting was also attended by Chairman Frontier Customs Agents Group Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, Faiz Mohammad Fazi of KP Chamber of Commerce and Industry, member Valuation Committee Khalid Shehzada, Deputy collector Kohat Dr Juened Mahmood, Assistant Collector Torkham Station Dr Umeer Mahmood, Principle Appraiser Shahid Akbar, Appraiser Javed Iqbal, Inspector Pir Mohammad and others.
Addressing the gathering the participants said that local valuation committee has approved to increase the valuation duty up to 10% on 33 Afghan products, which include leather, dry fruits, medicine shrubs, fresh fruits, and vegetables but no increase was made during last three years and that was the reason that the valuation committee has decided to increase the valuation 30 percent collectively.
Reacting on the decision Chairman Frontier Customs Groups and Director Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi criticized the decision and asked the local valuation committee to lessen the value up to 10-15 percent as the business community will not afford 30 percent sudden increase of valuation duty.
The business community has expressed reservation over the decision and said this decision will promote illegal passage of these goods and will encourage smuggling on border. They hoped that custom officials will consider their proposals and would not increase the value more than 10-15 percent.
