KARACHI: The Customs Enforcement South collected Rs499 billion revenue during the first half (July-December) of the current 2015-16 fiscal year, with 7.5 per cent growth over the Rs464 billion collection it collected during the same period of last year.
According to Chief Collector Zahid Khokhar, the growth in tax collection is the result of aggressive anti-smuggling campaign. He said that the department for the first time collected Rs30 billion more than its set target for the half-year period.
Giving details, Khokhar said that the Customs seized smuggled goods worth Rs3.424 billion, involving duty and taxes of Rs1.093 billion, in the half year ended December 31, 2015. Last year, seized smuggled goods were valued at only Rs737 million.
The chief collector said that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is fully determined to weed out smuggling from the country.
According to the Customs officials, a large quantity of clothing, electronics, mobile phones, auto parts, tea and cosmetics are smuggled into the country from Afghanistan.
Customs Intelligence Director Asif Marghoob Siddiqui said that the anti-smuggling operation is underway in line with the strategy of the FBR and also as instructed by Director General Imtiaz Ahmad Khan.
