Renewal of licences: customs agents to pay fee for attending training courses

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has made it mandatory for the customs agents to pay fee/charges for attending training course, which would be a requirement for renewal of their customs licenses.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Sunday that the FBR had amended the Customs Rules 2001 to make it compulsory for the customs clearing agents to pay fee for attending course at the FBR's Directorate of Training of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The customs clearing agents who would not pay the mandatory fee of Rs3,500 would not be allowed to operate as such agents. The customs agents would have to learn about the new rules and procures, notifications/amendments in the Customs Act 1969 and customs related developments and systems for renewal of their customs agent licenses.
According to the revised rule 99 of the Customs Rules 2001, all customs agents licensed under the rules would attend every two years a mandatory customs agents course for six days from the Directorate General of Training and Research (Customs) to be conducted in batches at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. A fee of Rs 3,500 may be charged by the Directorate General of Training and Research as fee for the course. The curriculum of the course shall be prescribed by the Directorate General of Training and Research.
The six days mandatory course shall be conducted with a qualifying benchmark of at least 90 percent attendance during the course. The customs agents who do not fulfil this requirement shall repeat the course on re-payment of the prescribed fee, amended Customs Rules added.