KARACHI: The authorities concerned of MCC-Appraisement (East) and MCC-Port Muhammad Bin Qasim have initiated the recovery process into the violation of SRO421(I)/2014 pertaining the import of steel billets, it was learnt here on Monday.
The sources informed Customs Today that the authorities concerned of both the Collectorates agreed upon the audit paras sent by the Directorate General of Internal Audit-Customs consisting of Rs 20 million pointed out amount altogether short revenue recovery reported in the import of steel billets.
The Collectorates have started to issue demand notices to the several importers in order to ensure revenue recovery in the import of the steel billets consignments.
The sources further disclosed that the authorities concerned of the Directorate General of Internal Audit-Customs have also approached to the Directorate of Reforms and Automation in order to rectify the issues pertaining to the clearance of the consignments in WeBOC, automated system.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Directorate General of Internal Audit-Customs has sent “audit paras” to the MCC-Appraisement (East) and MCC-Port Muhammad Bin Qasim which pointed out a short recovery amounting of Rs20 million altogether in clearance of steel billets under SRO421/2014.
It may be mentioned here that the Internal Audit-Customs has sent audit paras amounting Rs15million short recovery in the clearance of steel pallets during the time frame from July to October to the MCC-Appraisement (East) and an amount of Rs5million short recovery to MCC-Port Muhammad Bin Qasim in the clearance of steel billets consignments for the same period i.e. July to October.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Directorate of Internal Audit-Customs in its audit paras from July-October observed that the importers had misused the SRO421 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 in the clearance of steel billets.
It observed that the sales tax value for the clearance of steel billets consignments at US550per Kg; however; those consignments had been cleared at the sales tax rate of US$485per Kg.
“The officials of MCC-Appraisement (East) and MCC-Port Muhammad Bin Qasim had also calculated the GST @16per cent in the clearance of the steel billets consignments during the period of July to October-2014”, report added.
