KARACHI: Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-I Collector Abdul Basit Chaudhry has issued an Order-in-Original (ONO), clearing importer M/s Masoom Flour Mills from Rs 29 million tax evasion case. However, only a fine of Rs 100,000 has been imposed on the importer.
According to the details of case filed by Model Customs Collectorate Port Qasim, importer M/s Masoom Flour Mills Private Limited in connivance with their clearing agent, M/s Ahmed Enterprises, mis-declared and concealed actual facts regarding expected time of arrival (ETA) of the vessel, MV Virginia, which actually was picked up as IGM date by the WeBOC System, online VIR/IGM filing system and in abetment with others made an attempt to evade duty/taxes amounting to Rs 29 million by claiming illegal benefits of SRO1015(I)/ 2014 dated November 07, 2014.
The shipping agent, M/S M.M. Marine Services Private Limited filed vessel information report (VIR) regarding arrival of vessel MV Virginia in the customs computerized system and gave ETA as November 6, 2014. Therefore, the WeBOC System allocated IGM 0344 dated November 6, 2014 to this vessel. However, the ship arrived in Pakistan on November 12, 2014.
According to Port Qasim Customs, it was deliberately filed by the shipping agent as November 6, 2014 instead of November 12, 2014 because they knew the WeBOC system would pick ETA date as IGM date so that to avoid incidence of regulatory duty. However, the importer and the shipping agent claimed that they had no intention of evading the regulatory duty and earlier paid the regulatory duty in the government exchequer.
In the ONO, Collector Abdul Baasit Chaudhry observed that importer/agent had not committed violation of any law. However, a penalty was imposed for not intimating the non-arrival of vessel in time.
