LCCI condemns over-assessment and consignment delaying tactics used by officials at Port Qasim
KARACHI/LAHORE: Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Managing Committee Member Hasan Vohra while talking to Customs Today said that complaints in assessment process continue to be reported, adding that MCC Port Muhammad Bin Qasim Collector Suraiya Ahmed Butt has assured the importers that the collectorate will redress the issues being faced by the importers.
“We are monitoring the entire situation and will forward the grievances of the importers to the authorities concerned of Pakistan Customs,” Vohra added.
Meanwhile, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has strongly condemned the over-assessment and consignment delaying tactics used by customs officials at Port Qasim for their vested interest.
“Delays in assessment and over-assessment of goods for nothing are condemnable. Even a traffic warden who is deployed to keep an eye on traffic rules’ violators – if he demands money from the violators against the violation for his pocket – is also unfair and condemnable,” LCCI President Ijaz A Mumtaz told Customs Today at his office.
“If anybody is demanding money against the clearance of goods and assessing goods and raw-material against the rules for his or her own case at the major port in Karachi, we condemn it and demand the top officials of the customs to take notice of it.”
LCCI Vice President Mehmood Ghaznavi said that the customs rules should be made simpler in order to ensure speedy clearance of goods and articles.
“What to talk about the finish goods and articles’ speedy clearance when raw materials are also being put under undue scanning, assessment and valuation, which is illogical,” the LCCI vice president told Customs Today, adding that entries of goods and articles and raw material should be cleared on the same day without any delay on the fixed ITPs.
Industrial raw material should also not be subject to clearance and assessment delays, as the delay adversely impacts the production of the industries, he added.
Ghaznavi said that the LCCI and the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) have valuation committees but unfortunately these committees are not being taken onboard on assessment- and valuation-related issue of importers and exporters.
In a same country, different valuations and assessment of goods and articles may be witnessed. One same thing is valued at different prices in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and other parts of the country; resultantly, the same product is being sold at different prices in the same country.
“This shows a serious gape of communication between the customs offices of Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and other cities in this age of information technology,” he stated.
