KARACHI: The intelligence officials of Pakistan Customs have some significant proposals for minimising tax evasion attempts in the department while they need prompt attention of FBR high-ups i.e. FBR Chief Tariq Bajwa and Member (Customs) Nisar Muhammad Ali over the said prevailing dilemma.
Sharing their views with Customs Today, the senior officials of intelligence branch said that the scrutiny of the User IDs should be conducted by the authorities concerned on monthly basis, as the fake user IDs are being used in clearance of the consignments, adding that clearance on self-assessment is also being continued without any proper check by the Customs authorities, which on one hand, increases the attempts of fraudulent clearance and on other deprives the national exchequer of billions of rupees duty/taxes.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Collector-MCC Appraisement (East) Najeeb-ur-Rehman Abbasi has already issued strict directives in this regard and stated that the authorities concerned of the Collectorate not to entertain those Goods Declaration which have been filed on self-assessment basis.
Mr Abbasi has made it clear that no Good Declaration would be cleared without authority letter and authorized clearing agent. However; the violation of the Collector’s directives is being continued in the Collectorate, as consignments are being cleared on self-assessment basis.
In the context of the aforesaid mentioned details, the R&D Section of MCC-Appraisement (East) with its efficient efforts has recently disclosed and detected a racket (‘mafia’) involved in clearance of auto-motive parts through under-invoicing, which has given colossal loss to national exchequer.
When the R&D Section of MCC-Appraisement (East) took up the matter, it found during scrutinizing of the clearance data that most of the consignments have been cleared on self-assessment and there was a well-established mafia which is involved behind the clearance of the automotive spare parts through under-invoicing.
They were of the view that the said influential mafia has strong roots and approach in Customs Department and due to that they are being continued to clear their consignments and damaging the national exchequer.
They cited the example of a recent case disposed-off by Sindh High Court (SHC), in which it asked the authorities concerned of Pakistan Customs to release the stuck-up goods without taking differential amount in term of duty/taxes was an integral part of the said planned illegal clearance of the consignments of automotive parts.
The intelligence officials said that the Pakistan Customs due to the lethargic approach of the authorities concerned has lost the said case. The officials concerned of Pakistan Customs demanded FBR Chairman FBR Tariq Bajwa to form a committee in order to conduct proper inquiry to know on which the grounds Pakistan Customs lost the case.
