ISLAMABAD: The government is doing a brilliant job by installing fence to secure the Pak-Afghan border. This work will be completed within five to six months. After adoption of baggage checking at Torkham, the Anti-Smuggling Organization made several seizures of currency, gold and drugs. The Customs Collectorate Peshawar is facing losses of Rs500million in just a month due to closure of Pak-Afghan Torkham border. The closure has resulted in trade losses. The Peshawar Customs Collectorate is trying to meet its assigned target of third quarter (January to March) through adding gold money to the collectorate. Before the end of this current month, the collectorate will hold four public auctions during March to make up the revenue shortfall.
This was stated by Additional Deputy Collector Fazle Samad while giving an exclusive interview to Customs Today here at his office.
He said the collectorate is planning to end the shortfall under different heads by taking decisions of pending cases relating to currency, gold and confiscated vehicles. If collectorate succeeds in getting desired results out of said cases then the MCC Peshawar will surly meet its revenue target assigned for third quarter by the Federal Board of Revenue.
He said due to closure of Torkham international border, the revenue, coming through fruit business, is suffering a lot. The collectorate loses Rs150million Customs Duty whereas it loses Rs350million all duties and surcharges. He remarked that to fulfill the gap created by the closure of international border, the collectorate has planned to hold four auctions in this current month (March) because the collectorate needs around Rs500million of revenue to fill the gap of revenue shortfall.
He further said it is expected that Rs200million will come through auctions of different kinds of impounded goods and vehicles and the rest of required revenue will come through dry ports, anti-smuggling drive and pending cases. About 09 9 kilogram of gold is in the last stage of minting. If this gold is handed over to the collectorate in this month, the collectorate will get Rs50million by selling the said gold in the open market.
Answering a query, Fazle Samad appreciated the government’s initiative for installing scanners for walking passengers due to which situation will become better. Before adopting of new system at Torkham border, thousands of people checked in and checked out through Torkham gate without any proper checking which was unsaved.
