ISLAMABAD: The online tax payment (e-payment) for customs clearance will be implemented widely in the coming months, sources of the Model Customs Collectorate said.
The sources said that, in the next few months, tax payments for customs clearance will be made available online round-the-clock. This will allow the enterprises to pay tax at anytime and from anywhere if they have internet access, said the sources.
The official said it has planned to expand the 24/7 online tax payment scheme to all commercial and national banks. The banks will be considered to sign the collection agreements with the Customs Department till March 2017-18.
The 24/7 Online Tax E-payment Scheme will initially pilot with the few commercial banks. An official of the customs collectorate revealed that the online tax payment will be suitable for banks also however many banks currently do not allow tax payments after the cut-off time, which will cause the customs clearance delay through e-payment.
With the implementation of 24/7 online tax payment through banks and customs clearance projects, taxpayers can make payments at anytime, even during out-of-office hours, weekends or holidays, which will help reduce the time for completing customs clearance procedures and reduce cash payments.
For example, if a batch of goods arrives at 5: 00pm on Friday and the firm could not pay tax because it was past working hours, it would have to wait until next week to pay tax for customs clearance. Now with the 24/7 online tax payment, the firm can pay tax online immediately for customs clearance, sources concluded.
