FAISALABAD: Customs Directorate of Reforms and Automation Additional Director Hayee Sheikh has said that over one million import documents are issued every year in Pakistan and the Customs Department in collaboration with State Bank of Pakistan has prepared an ‘I-Form Module’ to regulate the import business on the pattern of export related E-form.
Abdul Hayee Sheikh said this while addressing a briefing on ‘I-Form’ in Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI). He termed exporters and expatriate Pakistanis as the unsung heroes of the country who are earning precious foreign exchange for the country.
He said that Customs and SBP had earlier introduced E-form to facilitate and regulate the export business. On the same pattern now I-Form module had been prepared for imports, he said and added that yet another objective of this form was to check multiple payments against a single import consignment.
Abdul Hayee Sheikh said that Customs Department would arrange series of training sessions for the importers as well as customs clearing agents enabling them to pay their taxes and duties electronically through ‘I-form’. “If any specific organization intends to hold training session for its concerned staff, we are also prepared for it”, he added.
Earlier, FCCI President Chaudhry Muhammad Nawaz said the overall economy was improving because of the positive and prudent policies of the government. As per its promise, the government ensured round the clock gas and electricity supply to the industries.
He said that inflation had also reduced to 2.48 percent from July-Feb 2016 period. Similarly, our foreign exchange reserves had soared to $20.5 billion. Moreover, 8 percent increase is recorded in the import of machinery which will expedite the industrial growth in the country paving way to create new jobs for the unemployed youth.
Chaudhry Nawaz said that last year hundreds of imported containers were struck up at Faisalabad Dry Port. However, now the situation has returned to normal and import and export consignments were being handled efficiently, he added.
He welcomed the I-Form Module of Customs Directorate and said that certainly it would facilitate the business community because of its speed and electronically handing along with other positive features.
SBP Policy Exchange Department Director Fazal Mehmood and Pakistan Revenue Automation Senior Manager Muhammad Arshad Husssain explained the salient features of I-Form and said that this system had been devised only to make the payments electronically.
