KARACHI: The Directorate General of Customs Valuation has revised the customs value of disposable gas/cigarette lighters through Valuation Ruling No 1022/2017 under Section 25-A of the Customs Act, 1969.
According to details, Directorate General has earlier circulated reference customs values of disposable gas/cigarette lighters Vide Valuation data base Letter No.82/2016, dated 18-11-2016.
However, some importers approached this Directorate General and requested to issue valuation ruling for uniform applicability. Therefore, this Directorate General initiated an exercise for determination of customs value for the subject goods.
Sources said that meeting with stakeholders was held on 10-1-2017. The stakeholders were requested to furnish invoices of imports during last three months showing factual value. Websites, names and e-mail addresses of known foreign manufacturers of the item in question through which the actual current value can be ascertained.
Copies of Contracts made / LCs opened during the last three months showing the value of item in question. Copies of sales tax invoices issued during last four months showing the difference in price (excluding duty and taxes) to substantiate that the benefit of difference in price is passed on to the local buyers.
However no stakeholder turned up for the meeting. Some applications were received for downward revision of the reference values notified vide VDB letter No.86/2016 dated 18.11.2016, but without any corroborating evidence/documents. Hence this Directorate General proceeded further for issuance of valuation ruling under the law.
Valuation methods given in Section 25 of the Customs Act, 1969 were followed to arrive at customs value of disposable gas/cigarette
lighters. Transaction value method provided in Section 25 (1) was found inapplicable owing to wide variation in the values being declared to the customs and incomplete descriptions.
