Consignments for erstwhile tribal areas: Importers, agents directed to approach DTT for trackers

ISLAMABAD: The Model Customs Collectorate Appraisement & Facilitation (East) Karachi has directed importers and customs agents to approach the Directorate of Transit Trade for installation of trackers on the consignments destined for erstwhile tribal areas.

According to a circular issued by the Model Customs Collectorate Appraisement & Facilitation (East) Karachi on Monday, for the consignments destined for the FATA/PATA, the concerned importer/Customs Agent should approach the Directorate of Transit Trade for installation of tracker etc. in pursuance of Customs General Order 1 of 2021 for consignments where assessment has been finalised by the Collectorate.

Asif S Kasbati a leading chartered accountant told Business Recorder here on Monday that the Directorate General (DG) of Transit Trade Customs House in its Customs General Order (CGO) to the Chief Collector of Customs stated that the necessary instructions have already been issued by the DG to the tracker company for manually installing tracking devices for the subject consignments and to ensure en route tracking and monitoring till the development of the functionality in the WeBOC System.

The DG suggested that keeping in view the processing of such consignments in the Collectorates and non-availability of access to their data by the Directorate of Transit Trade in the WeBOC system such consignments may be cleared in the system by the respective Collectorates only after implementation of the required condition as prescribed in the CGO and the FBR’s previously issued instructions.

The DG further stated that since control mechanism for clearance of such consignments lies with the Collectorates, they may accordingly get the written confirmation from the concerned clearing agents/bonded carriers regarding the installation of tracking device by tracker company, before clearing the consignments in the WeBOC system.

Referring to a past meeting, Asif S Kasbati informed that a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the chairman, FBR with Inland Revenue Operations and Customs Operations Wings to sort out the issues of imported goods of the FATA/PATA residents stuck-up at Karachi ports, consumption/installation certificates, post-dated cheques and exemption certificates under Section 148 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2021.

After thorough deliberations between the chairman, Member (IR-Operations) and Member (Customs-Operations) following mechanism was devised for the release of consignments of the FATA/PATA residents stuck-up at the Karachi Ports: The stuck-up containers are to be released by Customs authorities against Post-dated Cheques (PDCs) and sent to their destination (FATA/PATA) under standard tracker mechanism.

The Collector Customs (Enforcement & Compliance), Peshawar, will issue detention orders of the raw materials effective from day the consignment reaches the manufacturing premise of importers.

The importer/manufacturer will be responsible to take the import documents alongwith detention order to the CIR Corporate Zone, RTO, Peshawar and make arrangements to have the manufacturing premises/raw material/machinery/goods imported verified.

The CIR Corporate Zone, RTO, Peshawar will be liable to verify/undertake physical visit as conducted by the importer/manufacturer to the manufacturing premises where the goods are kept under detention, and allow the raw material to be consumed/utilised in writing.

The CIR, Corporate Zone, RTO, Peshawar will ensure the monthly stock-taking of the raw materials to consumed in the production of manufactured goods by these manufacturing units.

The residents of FATA/PATA will apply for tax exemption certificates under section 159 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 for the import of raw material/machinery in light of the Peshawar High Court, Mingora Bench, (Dara-ul-Qaza), Swat’s decision dated 24.11.2020.

Commissioner Corporate, RTO, Peshawar and Collector Customs (Enforcement & Compliance), Peshawar would keep a close liaison to successfully implement the laid down mechanism, he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021