KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has asked the authorities concerned of Pakistan Customs Field Formation Collectorates and Directorate General of Customs Intelligence and Investigation to jointly examine the consignments of motorcycle spare parts in Sindh, it is learnt.
According to details, the FBR has issued a letter which read that all the field formation collectorates, including Appraisement-East, Appraisement-West, Port Qasim, MCC-Hyderabad and other collectorates will conduct the joint examination of the consignments of motor cycle spare parts only within the jurisdiction of Sindh.
Sources informed Customs Today that the said initiative has been taken by the board keeping a major increase in the smuggling cases of motorcycle spare parts.
The sources also said that the recent crackdown of the Research and Development Section of the Appraisement-East against the smugglers of the motorcycle spare parts is also a reason on which the FBR officials declared the joint examination mandatory only in the case of the motorcycle spare parts consignments.
The R&D Section of Appraisement-East in the previous months detected several cases of tax evasion amounting millions of rupees fiscal fraud in terms of duty/taxes in clearance of consignments of motorcycle spare parts.
The sources said that the R&D Section of Appraisement-East during crackdown has found that the smugglers through a strong nexus had cleared motorcycle spare parts consignments on self user ID.
On the other hand, the importers of motorcycle spare parts have expressed their deep concern over the said decision of the board and said that the said joint examination would certainly increase the cost of doing business, as joint examination means both the officials concerned of collectorates and Directorate of Customs Intelligence should present at the time of examination and absence of anyone of the departmental official will cause in delaying the examination process and resulting in form of paying heavy amount as demurrage and detention to the terminal operators and shipping companies.
The importers said that the joint examination will also open the doors of corruption.
