PESHAWAR: Collector Modal Custom Collectorate Peshawar Qurban Ali Khan said that the matter of illegal non custom paid vehicles parked in railway dry port would soon be resolved and it is depend on court that whether to charge the importer with fines for using the land of railway dry port.
Talking to Customs Today Qurban Ali said that these vehicles has been parked in dry port since the era of temporary registration of non custom paid vehicles in 2012-13. The custom payment and registration of vehicles was allowed only for those vehicles which were present inside the territorial jurisdiction inside the border of the country however some profiteers illegally imported huge number of vehicles via Afghan border which had been seized by the custom officials in 2012-13.
He added that it took long time of four years to decide about the fate of these vehicles however the matter is under the court and now soon it would be decided to put these vehicles for auction or not.
Hundred of vehicles had been imported to the country at the time of amnesty scheme to avail the concessional customs amnesty scheme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. The importers however were not allowed to bring new vehicles and scheme would be applied only for those which are registered in police stations.
Moreover, at that time the scheme has raised the demand of NCP vehicles tremendously and thousands from Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa and Tribal areas have come forward to register their vehicles while Malakand division has opposed the amnesty scheme although more then 700,000 vehicles were NCP there.
For cars more then five years old, 60-70 per cent depreciation in value of used cars for assessment of duty had been be done and for older then five years, five per cent real depreciation in value per year for assessment of duty was allowed.
In that scheme a vehicle more than 14-year-old cars were subject to a flat rate of Rs50,000 to Rs100,000 depending on their make-up whereas only one per cent redemption fine was imposed on used cars.
At that time the amnesty scheme had generated handsome revenue for the national exchequer and later the scheme was stopped after completing the quota of registration.
It is pertinent to mentioned that huge number of non custom paid vehicles has been parked in the dry port which is going to outdated if timely action was not taken however the matter has been under the court and they will soon decide the case.