SUNDAY APRIL 17: Agility willing to resolve PaCCS issue outside court

KARACHI: The Kuwait based software supplier and owner of Pakistan Automated Customs Computerised System (PaCCS) has expressed its willingness to resolve its dispute with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) outside the arbitration process. According to a source in FBR, the assurance was given by Agility to Chairman FBR Salman Siddique during his visit to Kuwait last week.
He had flown to Kuwait along with former Chairman FBR, Abdullah Yousaf, to talk to Agility officials on PaCCS issue. Salman Saddique described the discussions as productive. This was the second visit of FBR Chairman to Agility headquarters to resolve the issue. Earlier he had met Agility officials in the first week of this month and following discussions it was agreed that FBR will pay the price to continue with the system.
The source said in all probability FBR would purchase the system shortly. It has already invited technical experts to assess the present value of the system and long run profitability to national exchequer. PaCCS is currently working successfully at Karachi Port.
FBR had launched PaCCS as a web-based system in March 2005 at KICT by signing a contract with Agility. This pilot project was rolled out to two other terminals at PICT and QICT in September 2006, PaCCS is a computerised system, which is currently operational at all the three important terminals at Karachi as pilot project for clearing goods of importers and exporters.