ISLAMABAD: Customs and Regulatory duties amount up to 15% of the total receipts collected by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). FBR through its enforcement arm Pakistan Customs is responsible for border measures including eradication of piracy and counterfeiting through Pakistani borders.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is committed for effective border measures because Pakistan Customs is the guardian of Pakistan’s borders against movement of contra band goods as well as a facilitator of bona fide trade.
“Pakistan Customs also provides a major source of revenue to the Government of Pakistan in the form of taxes levied on the goods traded across the borders and helps to protect the domestic industry and movement of genuine goods through borders” a well placed official source at FBR told Customs Today.
In a bid to empower Pakistan Customs against smuggling of contraband items under fake registration and names, the source said that FBR had inked a memorandum of understanding with IPO-Pakistan. MoU has enabled both the organizations on data sharing and further cooperation, as required in the areas of common regulatory and supervisory interests, and in furtherance of their operational objectives.
“MoU had helped not only to detect original and fake consignments but also provided an opportunity to genuine exporters and importers to register with FBR for protection of their businesses” the source maintained, adding that it had enabled FBR to effectively address issues of piracy and counterfeiting in the country because it proved a milestone towards relentless enforcement drive at our borders.
It is pertinent to mention here that major functions of IPO-Pakistan include administer and coordinate all government systems for protection and strengthening of Intellectual Property (IP), manage all IP offices in the country, create awareness about IP Rights, advise Federal Government on IP Policy as well as ensure effective enforcement of IP rights through designated IPR Enforcement Agencies (Police, FIA, and Pakistan Customs).
