MULTAN: The Multan Customs is likely to establish three new range offices in the region of Dera Ghazi Khan, Sadiqabad and Sahiwal, which will be manned by assistant and deputy collector for effectively curbing smuggling.
Talking to Customs Today, Multan Customs Collector Sarfraz Ahmad Warraich said that a major milestone of the collectorate during fiscal year 2014-15 was the inauguration of a new terminal of Multan International Airport, where due to enhanced infrastructure, capacity, facilitation an arrangement made between Pakistan Customs and Civil Aviation Authority, export of mangoes in quarantine has been started now.
A major proposal for declaring Sher Shah Railway Station as multimodal transit hub was forwarded to the Federal Board of Revenue in consultation with all stakeholders, including the Pakistan Railway. He said that given effect, the said measures would tremendously improve trade activities (import and export) in the region.
Meanwhile, talking about the achievements of the collectorate, Sarfraz Ahmad Warraich said that the collectorate has collected Rs 53 billion during fiscal year 2014-15 as compared to Rs 46.7 billion during fiscal year 2013-14. On account of customs duty, this collection is higher by a margin of 13.45%.
He said that Rs 28.2 billion were collected on account of sales tax during fiscal year 2014-15 as against Rs 24.9 billion during fiscal year 2013-14. Sales tax target of fiscal year 2014-15 was surpassed by a margin of 0.35%.
Another major collection was petroleum development levy of Rs 15 billion that was collected during fiscal year 2014-15 as against Rs 10.4 billion during fiscal year 2013-14, which is also higher by a margin of 43%.
The target of withholding tax was surpassed by a margin of 17%, while comparative growth as against last year was 27%.
Due to sharply falling prices of petroleum products in the international markets, the average value of high speed diesel remained Rs 80 per litre during the fiscal year 2013-14, which fell to Rs 60 per litre during fiscal year 2014-15.The said price was Rs 76 per litre in August 2014, which fell to Rs 45 per litre in May 2015.
As a result, assessable import value fell by a margin of 16% from Rs 140 billion in the fiscal year 2013-14 to Rs 118 billion during fiscal year 2014-15. As a result thereof, customs duty target was missed by 32% due to the stated phenomena.
In anti-evasion operations, 190 seizures/contravention cases valuing Rs 15.056 billion were instituted during fiscal year 2014-15 as against contravening value of Rs 262 million in 2013-14. These cases included those of 79 vehicles valuing Rs 71 million during fiscal year 2014-15.
Auction of seized goods resulted in recovery of Rs 92 million during fiscal year 2014-15 as against Rs 56 million in 2013-14.
An amount of Rs 475 million was recovered and settled in recovery of audit settlement cases as against Rs 262 million last years at the close of economic year 2014-15.
He told Customs Today that no rebate, refund case was pending for disposal with the Multan Collectorate at the end of fiscal year 2014-15.
Further he stated that 57% of the outstanding para of DRRA were settled during the fiscal year 2014-15.
