KARACHI: Directorate-General Customs Valuation Director Shafiq Ahmad Latki revised customs values of stationery items-II (pencil/ball points/pens of all sorts) under Section 25-A of the Customs Act, 1969 vide Valuation Ruling 1379/2019.
Earlier, customs values of stationery items (pencils/ball points/pens of all sorts) were determined vide Valuation Ruling No. 1182/2017 dated 16.6.2017. The Director-General Valuation rejected the review petitions filed by some of the stakeholders against Valuation Ruling vide Order-in-Revision No 418/2016 dated 8.12.2017 However, Customs Appellate Tribunal Karachi vide orders dated 28.8.2016 set aside the Order-in-Revision.
Several meetings with stakeholders, including importers, manufacturers and representatives from field formations were held to discuss the current international prices of the subject goods. The stakeholders submitted invoices of imports during last three months showing customs values, websites, names and email addresses of known foreign manufacturers of the item in question through which the actual current value can be ascertained.
The main issue during the meetings, as it emerged was the values of black lead pencils. There were contrasting and diagonally opposite opinion of local manufacturers and importers on the customs values of said pencils. M/s Dollar Instruments Manufacturers Group of Pakistan separately submitted work sheets based on printed Trade Pride list of the imported items along with trade sample for physical verification of weight of black lead/colour pencils.
Valuation methods given in Section 25 of the Customs Act, 1969 were followed to arrive at values of stationery items-II (pencils/ball points/pens of all orts). Transaction value of method provided in Section 25 (I) was found inapplicable due to wide variations in the values being declared to the customs. Identical goods value methods provided in Section 25 (5) & (6) were examined for applicability to the valuation issue in the instant case, which provided some reference values of the subject goods, but the same could not be exclusively relied on due to wide variations in in declared values.
