On the whole the region gathered additional Rs 27479 million revenue: Chief Collector Samaira Nazir
LAHORE: Despite monumental challenges, Central Region has not only exceeded the revenue collection target by 7 percent but was also able to register a positive growth of 21 percent during financial year 2015-16 as compared to the same period of last financial year.
These views were expressed by Chief Collector of Customs (Central) Samaira Nazir Khan while talking to Customs Today at her office at Customs House, Nabha Road the other day.
She said that it was due to the collective, coordinated efforts and team work of all the four collectorates that the Central Region was in a position to collect 3 percent additional customs duty in 2015-16 as compared to the financial year 2014-15 customs duty.
Similarly, the region was also able to make difference by collecting 33 percent additional sales tax of Rs 24739.77 million while withholding tax grew by 10 percent and federal excise tax (FED) by 6 percent respectively, she explained, adding that, on the whole, the region gathered additional Rs. 27479 million, showing growth of 21 percent.
Ms. Samaira informed that the growth was achieved despite the fact that Collectorates of Multan and Faisalabad had to face acute shortage of clearances due to the sharp decline in oil prices.
The clearance is made on the value of goods and articles and due to the sharp decline in the prices of oil the Collectorate of Multan whose imports are dependent on diesel, faced a steep decline in value of duty and taxes as well, she said, informing that it was an obvious reason of hefty decline in collection of tax revenue so far as the Collectorate of Multan was concerned.
“However, we took up the issue, had meetings with the PARCO authorities and motivated them to make it possible to get cleared as much oil as they can do from the Multan Collectorate,” she elaborated.
She praised the efforts of Multan Collector Sarfraz Warraich, saying that the collector himself carried out strenuous efforts to collect assigned revenues at the end of the financial year.
Talking about the Collectorates of Appraisement and Preventive, the Chief Collector mentioned that both collectorates met the revenue targets through vigorously recovering pending arrears, and by carrying out audits of DTRE approvals, MBCOs, and WeBOC clearances and by easing grievances of taxpayers.
The collectorates also speeded up anti-smuggling measures at airports to curb smuggling of currency, laptops, gold and mobile phones etc.
In response to a question about targets for the year 2016-17, she said although the region has not been given financial year 2016-17 revenue collection targets, the collectorates under the limits of the region have been instructed to put all-out efforts to collect duty and tax for the new financial year.
She concluded that the office of the Central Region has passed instructions to all the collectorates to facilitate the businessmen to their entire satisfaction so that they feel at home in getting their goods and articles cleared from the ports under the region’s precincts.
