Says Chairman FBR Pasha and Member Customs Zahid Khokhar should take stock of situation
LAHORE: Lahore Tax Bar Association (LTBA) President Chaudhary Qamaruz Zaman has said that importers have been playing a vital role in revenue collections for the national exchequer but they are being harassed by the customs lower staff.
Talking to Customs Today, Zaman said that importers from various sectors complain against the government functionaries, especially at Port Qasim where they are being harassed and blackmailed allegedly by appraisers and other customs staff.
He said that the importers who refuse to pay money are often assessed at high value rates while the others are at liberty to get their goods cleared at the lowest rates of duty and taxes.
Such practices on the part of the government officials at ports and tax collecting agencies is inappropriate for the national exchequer, the LTBA president said, adding that “we always want that the importers should be facilitated as they are playing important role in the economic development of the country.” He added that there should be positive working relationship between importers and the customs authorities at ports.
Zaman said that Port Qasim and Karachi Ports are major ports where the government collects huge revenues from the importers but unfortunately, importers are snubbed by the customs official.
They are unduly blackmailed, penalized or threatened to be involved in un-warrented litigations for money, Chaudhary Qameruz Zaman said. He particularly mentioned inappropriate behaviour of Principal Appraiser Shahid Rizvi and his companions with the importers at Port Bin Qasim. He said that the main objective of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is to collect revenue for the welfare of the people. The government officials have made it difficult for the importers to do business at Port Qasim, the LTBA president said.
He said that FBR Chairman Tariq Pasha and Member Customs Muhammad Zahid Khokar, and seasoned FBR and Customs officers, should take stock of the situation and ensure state-of-the-art facilities for the importers.
He also urged the top slot of the FBR to take stern actions against those officials who are involved in corruption and are inflicting huge losses on the national kitty and are indifferent to the their national obligations.
