ISLAMABAD: Member Customs Nasir Masroor Ahmad, Tuesday, said that arrangements made for the export of the perishable goods in Pakistani currency to Afghanistan on filling of regular shipping bills without requirement of E-Form.
Perishable products include fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat and others and required measures have been taken at Chaman and Torkham Customs points” he said while talking to reporters here after meeting of the Senate Finance Committee.
He said that Senate Committee had recommended permission to Pakistani exporters and importers from Afghanistan on Pakistani currency on the pattern the permission had been granted to traders from Khyber Pukhtunkhwa.
He said that Ministry of Commerce (MoC) issued an SRO which stated that MoC amended the Export Policy Order 2013 and allowed exports of perishable goods against Pak Rupee. The notification further said that such goods would not be entitled to: zero rating of sales tax on taxable goods; rebate of central excise duty; and payment of drawback of customs duty.
He said that FBR was making efforts to establish electronic data sharing connectivity with Afghanistan at both Torkham and Chaman border points to ensure transit of Afghan goods into Afghanistan and to check their smuggling or dumping in Pakistan. However, he said that it would take some time, but it was the ultimate solution to the smuggling and consumption of Afghan transit goods in Pakistan.
To a question he said that Customs department was quite vigilant of the issue and was making all out efforts to check smuggling from both Afghanistan and Iran into the country because it was damaging the local industry as well as inflicting loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer in terms of revenue as well as unemployment for local labour force.
Commenting about obligations of his department, he said that all policy matters, rules, regulations, interpretation of relevant laws and perform all allied functions, relating to customs, including exemptions, duty drawbacks, rebates, changes, modifications customs tariff and judicial and legal issues fell in the jurisdiction of Customs Department.
