Imposition of additional charges: shipping lines to be urged to consult ministry first

Chairman, Pakistan Chemicals and Dyes Merchant Association (PCDMA), Muhammad Haroon Agar has urged the Federal Minister of Commerce, Makhdoom Muhammad Amin Fahim to direct shipping lines to consult the ministry before imposing addition charges. In a letter to the minister, he also urged the minister to direct the concerned officials of his ministry to prepare some regulations for shipping lines/agents to follow in order to curtail their dominance and cartelization.
It has been observed that shipping-lines/agents, keeping their eyes shut towards the incentivising policy of this democratic government impose additional charges from time to time, which increases the cost of doing business and resulting financial losses to importers/exporters who are contributing a major chunk to the government revenue.
Following such unfair and adamant practices, recently, M/s. Emkay & C.I.M. shipping companies/agents have introduced and started claiming additional unprovoked charges in the headers of Currency Adjustment Factor (CAF), Karachi Port Surcharge (KPS) US $50, splitting charges etc in recent new imported consignments.
Shipping companies/agents are imposing such charges in various headers and later increase as per their desires anytime and as a result business community suffers in terms of high costs of doing business. Since the said practice has been started by few companies and likewise, other companies would follow the same practice therefore, same must be stopped and prohibited.
Consequently, he urged the minister to look into this matter and directives be issued to concerned authority to restrain the shipping lines/agents from such unprovoked charges in order to promote and facilitate trade and economy of Pakistan. He noted that these shipping lines/agents are earning revenue in billions of rupees and enhance their charges willfully and ultimately the importers/exporters suffer huge losses.