KARACHI: The Pakistan Customs Enforcement South has proposed an ‘amnesty scheme’ for the smuggled cellular phones which are available in local markets.
Chief Collector Enforcement South Muhammad Zahid Khokhar has forwarded a proposal to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for further perusal, according to insiders.
While talking to Customs Today exclusively, Chief Collector Enforcement South Zahid Khokhar said he had proposed an amnesty scheme to the FBR to legalize the non-custom/duty paid cellular phones which are available in the local markets.
“Although, the customs authorities are making all out efforts to control the menace of smuggling of cellular phones however the local markets are stuffed with refurbished sets”, the chief collector added.
“We have asked the FBR to take onboard the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority PTA and the cellular companies to detect such cellular phones whose duties/taxes are not paid by the importers”, Zahid Khokhar said.
According to sources, millions of mobile phones are smuggled into the country and almost all the local mobile markets are stuffed with non duties/taxes paid phones. Moreover, there is a plan to establish a database where the authority as well as service providers could confirm the legality of mobile phones through the IMEI number, before activating the service.
Under the proposed amnesty schemes, the importers and traders in possession of non-duty paid goods could pay the legitimate duty along with marginal fine and the IMEI numbers of these phones would be added into the database, hence legalizing them.
Investigations as part of FBR’s anti-smuggling campaign have identified markets housing the smuggled commodities. Subsequently, raids were conducted by the Customs enforcement staff, but the same were miserable failed as shop owners and markets associations created law and order situation.
There may be millions of smuggled phones in the country’s markets and we can not seize them nor can arrest every shop owner. Amnesty is the only option to realize revenue as happened in the case of smuggled vehicles.
