ISLAMABAD: Collector (Appeals) Iram M Aamir has said that the Collectorate of Customs Appeals in the federal capital and its camp office in Peshawar have decided 390 appeals involving Rs 137.61 million in six months.
In an interview with Customs Today, she said that “I assumed the charge of Collector Appeals Islamabad at the end of 2016 and expeditiously disposed of 376 appeals in favour of the department.” She said that the appeals were related to smuggled and non-duty-paid goods, classification issues, assessments, fake form ‘E’ issues and refund matters. “The collectorate has recovered millions of rupees in the forms of duty, taxes and penalties,” she added.
In response to a question, she said the Collector Appeals works under the Customs Act, and parliament has given special judicial powers to the customs officers. We work as judicial office and make sure that justice is provided on merit, no matter who appeals.
She says no case is small or big we don’t go on profile of the case. To me a small smuggler has the same position which is given to a big smuggler, she remarked. My sole responsibility is to provide justice, she stressed. I just hear the cases and decide them on merit, she added. It is an unbiased seat and our intention is to provide justice and peoples are completely satisfied with our decisions, maintained.
If aggrieved party is not satisfied with our decision then it can file an appeal before the customs tribunal against our decision, she substantiated. Collector Appeals’ job is to just clear the points of law in the case adjudicated by collector adjudication, she further said.
She cleared that it is not necessary that on the decision of collector adjudication, aggrieved party may not file an appeal before the collector appeals, but the party may directly do the appeal in Customs Tribunal.
She said when we decide the case then it is sent to recovery department which is a separate office. She emphasized that it is a wrong impression that we always decide the cases in favour of the Federal Board of Revenue. There are many cases on record which we have decided against the department and the FBR has accepted the decisions of the collector appeals, she examplified.
She said the Federal Board of Revenue collects billions of rupees every year and lots of efforts are involved in the revenue collection, but there is no appreciation for the FBR.
