ISLAMABAD: Collector of Customs Quetta Ashraf Ali said “It clearly indicates that now the masses do want to pay taxes and wish to be called the civilized citizens”.
He stated this while giving an exclusive interview to Customs Today. He said that millions of rupees were collected by the customs authorities of the Quetta Collectorate during the month of November Financial Year 2017-18.
The Customs Stations Taftan, Chaman and National Logistic Cell (NLC) played a vital role in checking the activity of smuggling and other traffickings by impounding Non-Duty-Paid vehicles and goods including foreign origin cloths, tyres, cigarettes, scraps, medicines, drugs , pan parags and electronic items.
The Collector Quetta Customs told CT “Initiatives such as routine checking not only aims to frustrate the smuggling but also dismantles the smuggling groups. Ashraf Ali proudly quoted that “through our best networking we have been achieving our annual assigned revenue targets successfully. In this regard, the role of local businessmen, chambers of commerce Quetta and Chaman is really appreciable.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) encourages and supports the efforts of anti-smuggling wings of Quetta Customs which are fighting against the organized smuggling through initiatives such as proper check-posts and snap mobile squads,” said the Head of the Model Custom Collector Quetta.
The Collector Quetta also appreciated the performance of the customs officers during the current financial year of FY17-18. He especially named the Customs Officers, Zubair Shah, Additional Collector Anti-Smuggling Wing Quetta and Maqbool Baloch, Deputy Collector Preventive along with many other officials of the Anti-Smuggling Cell Quetta.
He mentioned that the ASO Quetta took into possession 87 vehicles including NDP and Offending ones (vehicles carrying smuggling goods). He notified CT that the Customs ASO Quetta impounded 70 NDP vehicles worth Rs79.102million which shows a tremendous performance by the anti-smuggling cell during the month of November FY17-18.
He told the correspondent that, during November FY17-18, the Quetta confiscated various kinds of smuggling goods valued at Rs152.74million. He added that the MCC Quetta paid Rebate Refunds of Rs90.939million to the exporters under the head of Customs Duty (CD) during the month of November FY17-18.
The MCC Quetta was assigned a revenue target of Rs2183.810million as CD whereas it earned surplus net revenue collection of Rs3353.650million of CD. The Collectorate of Quetta generated an extra revenue of Rs1169.84million against an abovementioned allocated revenue target for the month of November FY17-18.
Ali further told CT that, during the month of November FY17-18, the MCC Quetta was earmarked a revenue target of Rs2782.200million while it earned additional revenue of Rs3495.792million under the head of Sales Tax (ST). During said period, the collectorate received an extra revenue of Rs713.592million as ST. During the month of November FY17-18, the Collectorate of Quetta also surpassed the revenue collection target of With Holding Tax.