Confusion is getting more compounded due to the indecision of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) about continuation or otherwise of Pakistan Automated Customs Computerised System (PaCCS).
In the opinion of former Director General, Tax Audit, and former advisor to Federal Tax Ombudsman, the system of appraisement of customs duty, PaCCS and system of sales tax processing should not be closed but revisited and upgraded for application in all dry ports and seaports to make them transparent and less time-consuming. Besides, a full fledged research and development wing must be established to guide the FBR in tax policy matters, he added.
High officials in government institutions, a former chairman of FBR, technical experts, traders, and representatives of trade unions have repeatedly appreciated the significance of PaCCS in boosting trade revenues, eliminating corruption, and its transparent working. All have been emphasising that Ministry of Finance should realise that, to increase tax revenues, it should incorporate PaCCS, because without an automated system, manual system is prone to allowing duty and tax evasion, thus less collection. Needless to point out, the federal government has earned billions of rupees from this automated solution installed at three major trade terminals.
The PaCCs system has an end-to-end automated solution, covering all customs functions. Due to the very nature of customs work, the system transcends its boundaries from customs procedures to other relevant organisations concerned with clearance of international cargo, and various operators involved in the logistic supply chain, such as banks, carriers, and warehouse operators, etc. PaCCS is an integrated system.
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