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pAKIStAN’S fIRSt INDeptH NewSpApeR oN cuStomS
Daily
Vol 1 Issue No. 274
Karachi, Wed January 13, 2016
PESHAWAR
NADIR KHAN
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he Model Custom Collectorate Peshawar has collected Rs 1,511.31 million under the head of duty/taxes during December of current Uiscal year 2015-16. According to the ofUicial Uigures available to Customs Today, the Peshawar Customs collected Rs 634.09 million in the wake of custom duty and showed growth to the tune of Rs 128.06 million, as it had generated Rs 506.03 million during same period in 2014. In term of sales tax on imported items, it collected Rs 389.21
Price Rs. 14.00
million against Rs 469.62 million, which was collected last year. The customs generated Rs 164.88 million in wake of sales tax levied as federal excise duty on the import of palm oil but during December of last year, it had collected Rs 208.36 million, which was Rs 43.48 million more than the current collections. Similarly, in term of sales tax levied as value addition on commercial importers, the collection is standing at Rs 61.14 million against the previous year collection of Rs 58.15 million with total difference of Rs 2.99 million. The collectorate has collected federal excise duty collection to the tune of Rs 17.57 million, while it had generated Rs 19.61 million during corresponding period of last year.
Customs Intelligence seizes laptops, memory cards worth Rs 1.56m
NA Finance Committee to pass Income Tax (Amendment) Bill
Senate to discuss reasons behind widening of trade deficit
Customs Intelligence impounds vehicle worth Rs 1.5 million
ICCI signs MoU with RBF to promote trade and exports
CustomIntelligence seizedlaptops,memory cardsandbatteriesworthRs1.56m | See pAge 02 |
NA Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue is likely to pass the IncomeTax | See pAge 03 |
The Senate is going to discus the reasons behind the widening of trade | See pAge 04 |
Customs Intelligence impounded a smuggled vehicle worth Rs 1.5 million | See pAge 12 |
ICCI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with RBF to promote Pak | See pAge 09 |
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FBR collects 99.6pc of its target in first half of FY 2015-16 Wednesday, January 13, 2016
National
LAHORE: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has achieved 99.6 percent tax collection target during the first six months of 2015-16. Sources told Customs Today that the target was achieved to the extent of 99.6 percent during July-December, 2015-16. It was added the provisional collection during JulyDecember, 2015 was Rs 1,385 billion against target of Rs 1,390 billion. The target of FBR collection for the second quarter i.e. October-December 20l5 was Rs 750 billion. According to the provisional figures, a collection of Rs 785 billion was made during this period and Rs 35 billion were collected in excess of the target, they said.
customs Intelligence seizes laptops, memory cards worth Rs 1.56m
LAHORE
m HAYAt
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KARACHI
ABDuL ReHmAN
ero percent withholding tax is sole and one point agenda of Pakistani traders and Tax Amnesty Scheme is a fraud and a favor to turn black money of corrupt bureaucrats and politicians into white. This was stated by All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran Lahore Faisalabad and Islamabad office bearers President Khalid Pervaiz during a press conference at the Lahore Press Club. He said that the traders never demanded any tax amnesty scheme. “The scheme is not for small and big traders as trades do not have such big capital like Rs 25 millon. This scheme is for those who want to purchase PIA and mills,” he said. He added that the government had not taken the real representative of traders’ community on board. He said that the government manipulated withholding discussions with the fake traders’ representative staging drama. Islamabad chapter president Kashif Chaudhary said that voluntary tax package of amnesty scheme was not traders demand. He said that the scheme is introduced for bureaucrats and people sitting in assemblies.
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he Custom Intelligence and Anti-Smuggling has seized laptops, memory cards and batteries worth Rs 1.56 million involving duty/taxes amounting to Rs 828,890. On the directions of Director Intelligence Asif Marghoob, Additional Director Nadeem Ahsan formed a team comprising Deputy Superintendent Haji Aslam, Inspectors Parwez Ahmed Zardari, Muhammad Aqmal Hashmi, Rana Ansram, Munwar Ali, and Khuram Saeed. The team raided a godown in Saddar area of Karachi and recovered 20 laptops, memory cards and batteries of assorted brands. The items were conUiscated under customs laws after making a case No. M-2148/DCI/SEIZ/2015. During the raid, no accused was arrested, while FIR has not been lodged so far. Meanwhile, The Customs Intelligence has started grand operation against non-customs-paid vehicles during which customs authorities recovered several vehicles. Sources told Customs Today that Director Customs Intelligence and Investigation Asif Marghoob Siddiqui received credible information about non-duty paid vehicles which are plying on roads. He immediately formed a team comprising Superin-
Anjuman-e-tajran rejects tax Amnesty Scheme
tendant Mahmood Abbas, Deputy Superintendant Hajji Aslam, Rana Insram, Parwez Zardari, Amien Bhanwar, Sayed Munwar Ali Shah. The customs team intercepted a Toyota Corolla car bearing Registeration No. AGG-004 in Defense Area. The market value of seized vehicle is Rs 1 million. Customs team asked the owner of the vehicle to produce the legal documents regarding possession of the vehicle but he failed to produce any documents, after which
customs team seized the vehicle and registered a case against the owner. Meanwhile, Customs Intelligence and Investigation (AntiSmuggling) started grand operation on non-customs-paid vehicles. Sources told Customs Today that Director Customs Intelligence (Anti-Smuggling) Asif Marghoob Siddiqui formed different teams to seize non-duty-paid vehicles. A team of Customs Intelligence comprising Mahmood Abbas, Deputy
Superintendent Haji Aslam, Rana Insram, Parwez Zardari, Amien Bhanwar, Sayed Munwar Ali Shah started patrolling in different areas of Karachi and intercepted a Honda Accord bearing registration No. QBA-9810, and Toyota Corolla car. The ASO team asked drivers of these cars to produce legal documents regarding possession of the vehicles but they failed to produce the same. Customs team seized both the vehicles.
customs court extends remand of alleged gold smuggler T
LAHORE
m ImRAN meHAR
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he Special Court of Customs Taxation and Anti-Smuggling has extended the judicial remand of a suspect for another 14 days in a gold smuggling case. As per details, the Airport Security Forces (ASF) recovered two and half kilogram gold from a passenger’s luggage at Lahore airport. The passenger was identiUied as Rai
Umar who was on board for Sharjah through a private airline. The clue of gold was found on search through scanning machine at Allama Iqbal International Airport. The ASF ofUicials conducted the initial interrogation and handed over the accused to the Pakistan Custom for further investigation. Earlier, the accused was on judicial remand in the custody of the Pakistan Customs after three days physical remand. The customs team presented the accused before Cus-
toms Court, where Special Judge ChaudHary Ameer Muhammad handed over him to the customs for interrogation. It is necessary to mention here that worth of the gold is estimated at Rs 8 millions in international market. Meanwhile, The Special Customs Taxation and AntiSmuggling Court has further approved judicial remand of accused Allah Ditta and Abbas Ali who were arrested by the security forces from international border while making an attempt to smuggle alcohol from
India. According to details, the security forces had arrested two smugglers from Wagah border after a clash while they were smuggling alcohol from India to Pakistan. The forces also recovered 58 bottles of alcohol of Indian origin from their custody. Smugglers were trying to smuggle that alcohol from India with the collaboration of Indian accomplices Both accused Allah Ditta and Abbas were on judicial remand for 14 days and the court has sent them to jail on extended judi-
cial remand again. Meanwhile, The Special Federal Court of Anti-Narcotics has approved a 14-day judicial remand of two suspects who were arrested by the ANF ofUicials from Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore. According to sources, Muhammad Hanif and Javed were travelling for Colombo through a private airline. The Anti-Narcotics Force recovered 55 capsules of heroin from the possession of Muhammad hanif and 60 capsules from Javed.
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Faisalabad FIA arrests human trafficker FAISALABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested human trafficker allegedly involved in sending people abroad illegally. According to the details, FIA Assistant Director Chaudhary Mazharullah and Inspector Muhammad Javaad conducted raid and arrested the accused, Muhammad Bashirullah Ahmad who was running illegal business of sending innocent people abroad, especially to European and Middle East countries after extorting big amount from them. The FIA has also seized passports and several fake visas of different countries from his possession.
customs foils attempt to smuggle 912 smart phones abroad
Wednesday January 13, 2016
National
NA finance committee to pass Income tax (Amendment) Bill
ISLAMABAD
m fAIZAN
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ustoms authorities deputed at Benazir Bhutto International Airport foiled bid to smuggle 912 smart phones abroad. The market value of seized smart phones are Rs 20 million. Sources told Customs Today that Deputy Collector Shahid Jan received credible information regarding a smuggling attempt through Etihad Airways which was coming from Abu Dhabi. He immediately formed a team and supervised the entire operation himself. The team thoroughly scrutinized all the baggage of passengers who are arrived from Abu Dhabi and recovered 912 smart phones from different bags and shoppers.
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Quetta customs recovers 20kg hashish, auto parts KARACHI
wAQAR AHmeD ANSARI www.customsbulletin.com
irectorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Quetta recovered 20 kilograms of fine quality hashish from a vehicle. Sources told Customs Today that Customs authorities received credible information about some smuggling attempts after which they formed a customs team. The customs team intercepted a Mazda Suzuki and recovered 20 kilograms of fine quality hashish from secret parts of vehicle. Customs team arrested one person from the scene. During another crackdown Customs authorities recovered huge quantity of auto parts and arrested a person who was selling these auto parts. Sources said that customs authorities have accelerated their anti-smuggling campaign and enhanced survelliance in entire area of Balochistan.
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ISLAMABAD
m ARSHAD
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he National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue is likely to pass the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2016 today (Tuesday). At the beginning of current month, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presented the Amnesty Scheme Bill in the National Assembly under which different privileges have been provided to the tax defaulters and they are provided opportunity to legalize their money up to Rs 500 million. According to the bill, the traders are allowed to get legal status of their businesses by depositing a certain amount of taxes. On Monday, NA Finance Committee discussed the bill in details and was about to pass it; however, deferred voting on the bill in a bid to avoid walk out and note of dissent by opposition members. Moreover, Committee Chairman Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh directed Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman and the Finance Secretary to provide detailed report with regard to the questions raised by the members of the committee on the outcome of the amnesty schemes launched by the government since 1947. Since opposition members were not ready to get this bill passed unanimously, therefore, the committee pended other agenda items including Foreign Exchange Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2014, Equity Participation Fund (Repeal)
Bill 2014, the Offences in Respect of banks (Special Coutts) (Amendment) Act 2015, the Cost and Management Accountants (Amendment) Bill 2015 and the Banks (Nationalization) (Amendment) Bill,2015. Similarly agenda items related to brieUing by Secretary, Ministry of Finance, on the State of Pakistan’s economy as well as Chairman FBR on Rs 40 billion tax, recently imposed by the Government on different item were also pended by the house. According to Chairman
finance minister Ishaq Dar presented the Amnesty Scheme Bill in the National Assembly under which different privileges have been provided to the tax defaulters and they are provided opportunity to legalize their money up to Rs 500 million.
fBR blacklists three factories due to tax evasion KARACHI
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he Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to blacklists three companies due to tax evasion. Sources of Regional Tax OfUice-II told Customs Today that two companies are located in Karachi and one is located in Hy-
derabad. The blacklisted companies are Ghufran Knitwear and Al Haseeb Garments in Karachi while Shamim Enterprises is in Hyderabad. Sources said these companies have not been submitting their tax returns since 2013. The RTO has sent them many reminders for the clearance of outstanding dues but they were avoiding to pay taxes. Even the RTO ofUicials personally visited these factories to pursue them to pay tax but no authorized person was available.
Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh, the committee will pass the said bill to drag national economy out a state of stagnant because traders were halted from paying their due taxes only because of indecisiveness on this issue. He further told this scribe that government was in hurry to bulldoze the bill by dint of brute majority from the house therefore government had postponed voting on the bill till today just to get a harmonized democratic environment within the committee.
ApteA welcomes special allowance ll Pakistan Tax Employees Association welcome the announcement of special allowance by the FBR for the employees of FBR for showing outstanding performance in collection of taxes during the first six months of Financial Year 2015-16. APTEA Central President Aslam Pervaiz and Lahore President Asgher Verya told Customs Today that they appreciate the FBR’s step that is taken for the welfare of employees.
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26 oil, gas discoveries may have 1 trillion cubic feet reservoirs Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Business
ISLAMABAD: The experts are evaluating around 26 oil and gas discoveries to determine exact potential of the new finds, which may have over one trillion cubic feet reservoirs, official sources in the Ministry of Petroleum said. The govt’s efforts to fulfil the growing energy needs, they said, had started yielding results as 67 new oil and gas discoveries had so far been made. Sharing achievements of the govt, they said, a total of 227 wells had been drilled while 46 new exploration licenses were awarded to different oil and gas exploration companies, which was a record performance in the country’s history.
pSX witnesses second day of bearish trend, sheds 54pts to close at 32266 KARACHI
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he Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) Tuesday remained in negative zone whole the day but recovered almost all the losses in last session, however, the bears attacked again in the last minutes, slashing 54.40 points to close the 100-index at 32265.65 level. The stocks recorded the highest trading level of 32330.19 points
tiwana says pakistan seals LNg deal with Qatar
and lowest level of 32005.22 points, with the volume of 127.4
Senate to discuss reasons behind widening of trade deficit
ISLAMABAD
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arliamentary Secretary for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahzadi Umarzadi Tiwana has said that Pakistan has finalised a deal with Qatar for the import of LNG. Tiwana revealed this during the National Assembly’s Question-Hour. He said that Pakistan has finalised an LNG sale and purchase agreement with Qatar and it has been submitted to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).
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million shares, having over Rs7.635 billion value. As many as 306 com-
panies were active; of which 81 advanced, 205 declined and 20 remained unchanged. The three top traded companies were TRG Pak Ltd with a volume of 16,328,500 and price per share of 30.91 (-0.98), TPL Trakker Ltd with a volume 5,765,500 of price per share of 11.82 (-0.99), and Fauji Cement with a volume 5,042,500 of price per share of 37.97 (0.28). The top three gainers were Hinopak Motor with price per share 1173.71 (47.34), Siemens Pak.SPOT with price per share of 880 (39.24) and Ghandhara Ind price per share of 375.10 (17.86).
ISLAMABAD
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he Senate is going to discus the reasons behind the widening of trade balance/ deUicit in its 123rd session starting from Monday (today). According to sources, the Senate Secretariat has informed the Commerce Minister’s ofUice to ensure his presence in the House to respond to the observations of the Senators on the said matter. In this regard, the source added
that Ministry of Commerce had been asked to provide entire data and statistics about the current trade deUicit along with detailed reply elaborating the reasons behind the lowering exports and increasing imports. When contacted, Senate Secretariat, told Customs Today that PTI’s Senator and Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Commerce Shibli Faraz had moved a motion seeking discussion on the present position of balance of trade of the country. As per rules of the Business of the House, the mover of the motion is granted an opportunity to express views on the matter and
then the Chairman put the motion before the House and if not opposed by treasury bench, then motion is adopted for discussion. When contacted, Shibli Faraz told Customs Today that the entire nation is concerned over the widening trade deUicit, but government is not worried about on this matter of grave national importance. He added that Ministry of Commerce had not implemented the previous strategic Trade Policy and was framing the next trade policy, therefore, he from the platform of Commerce Committee had sought explanation from Ministry in this regard.
Broadband usage up by 12% to 24.48m subscribers in 2015 ISLAMABAD
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he broadband usage in the country grown by 12 per cent to 24.78 million subscribers till the end of November 2015 from mere 2.07pc in 2014. Out of total broadband subscribers, 21.68m users were on 3G/4G technology while remaining 1.5 million broadband users were on DSL and another 1.3m on EvDO. This huge uptake in broadband is result of 3G/4G services and interestingly less than 20pc mobile phone users out of total 124m subscribers have shifted to 3G/4G networks, indicating that there is huge potential available in market and this growing number of broadband users in Pakistan will grow further for several years to come. Experts on Monday recalled the dial-up era of 1990s, when basic email and internet services were introduced in Pakistan but it was only 2001 when broadband services (DSL) in Pakistan were introduced for first time. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s emergency response officials will be imparted livestock training in a week-long workshop. The training will be imparted by the two top veterinary emergency response experts affiliated with the international Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS) Project.
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Asia stocks hover at four-year lows on china worries; oil slides HONG KONG
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sian stocks held near fouryear lows and crude oil prices approached a 20 percent drop in less than two weeks, as investors remained wary of China's volatile Uinancial markets. European markets are set to open Ulat to slightly higher, with Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE to open 0.5
percent up, Germany's DAX .GDAXI to gain 0.8 percent, and France's CAC 40 .FCHI to rise 0.7 percent, according to IG. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-PaciUic shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS gave up early gains to trade 0.2 percent lower, just shy of its lowest level in four years. It is down more than 8 percent since the start of 2016. It fell 12 percent last year. "Investors are still concerned about the extent of China's slow-
down and while we may be in the middle of a consolidation phase, we have yet to see any data indicating a turnaround which is feeding the overall uncertainty," said Ben Pedley, head of investment strategy for Asia at HSBC Private Bank in Hong Kong. With investors still licking their wounds from last year's plunge in global commodity prices and a sharp sell-off in Chinese markets, 2016 has brought about more pain for investment portfolios in the form
of a deepening slowdown in the global economy and volatile Chinese markets. Japan's Nikkei .N225 fell 2.7 percent after a market holiday on Monday, closing at its lowest in nearly a year, while U.S. stock mini futures ESc1 were in the red pointing to a weak start. Beijing set another Uirm Uix for its currency and stepped up a verbal campaign, backed by what dealers said was aggressive intervention by stateowned banks to steady markets. Ac-
cording to MSCI global indexes, BRIC and other emerging market indexes have bled the most so far this year; the BRIC index has lost 7.2 percent and emerging markets, 6.8 percent. MSCI's broadest gauge of world stocks .MIWD00000PUS fell to its lowest since September 2013. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 .SPX managed to stabilize on Monday after three straight days of one-percent-plus declines, ending the day up 0.1 percent.
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ederal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Nisar Muhammad Khan has said that the Income Tax Amendment Bill, 2016 to bring 2.2 million traders in the tax net by urging them to Uile income tax returns. The bill was introduced in the Senate on the Uirst of the current month and was subsequently referred to the committee. While giving a detailed brieUing about the bill to Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, he said that out of 2.8 million traders of the country, only 625,000 of them were Uilers of while the rest of the chunk was non-Uiler. As a result, a major portion of the national economy was undocumented. He said that the scheme was not mandatory as it was optional; therefore, traders were free either to beneUit from it or not. So it is wrong to declare the scheme as tax amnesty scheme or a bid to award thieves for not paying tax or for hiding their assets from the tax authorities. He said that such schemes were very frequent in the world to bring undocumented portion of economy in the tax net. He further added that people would not prefer to come in the tax net if not provided with concessions or incentives therefore, a number of beneUits and advantages had been made part of this scheme. After launch of this scheme with the approval of parliament, then FBR will continuously
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
monitor its success in future. To a question regarding number of slabs Uixed for new taxpayers on the basis of turnover, he said that these slabs had been Uixed after detailed and thorough deliberations with almost all the stakeholders. In this regard lethargic and irksome discussions had been continuing for last six months. With the implementation of this scheme, he said that around 500, 000 new Uillers would be added in the existing income tax Uilers. Later while brieUing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, Nisar Muhammad Khan, along with Finance Secretary Dr. Waqar Masood, said that FBR would not compromise on the issue of broadening of tax base (BTB). In this regard, 250, 000 notices had been issued to potential taxpayers to bring them in the tax net in last two years. In response to observations of the members of the committee, Nisar Muhammad Khan observed that issue of Uixation of limit of turnover of any business would be deliberated and recommendations of the committee members would be incorporated in budgetary proposals for the next budget. Members Strategic Planning, Reforms and Statistics Dr. Muhammad Iqbal while responding to a question asked by Dr. Nafeesa Shah, said
that amnesty schemes announced in 1997 could not bring due results just because of non Uixation of penalty for non compliance. However, the current scheme will bring due results because of presence of penalty for evaders. Moreover, it is not an amnesty scheme but a special procedure announced for traders to bring them in tax net. Similarly, he said that Rs 1 million could be collected out of amnesty scheme announced in 2000 and a meagre amount of Rs 2 billion could be gathered out of amnesty scheme announced in 2008.
r n Nisa hat a m r i ha st fBR c Khan say he d mma raders of t e a h u t r m 2.8m 00 we out of only 625,0 of the st ry, count hile the re r. As a w le filers, was non-fi n of the o chunk ajor porti was my ,am result onal econo d. e nati ment u c o d un
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Founder & Chairman Zulfiqar Ali Editor Rahil Yasin editor@customsbulletin.com.pk For advertising & subscription marketing@customsbulletin.com.pk www.customsbulletin.com Phones: 042-35781643-4, Fax: 042-35781645 Address: 627, Siddiq Trade Centre, Gulberg, Lahore
eDItoRIAL
problems of tractor industry
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he farming sector is in trouble so are the industries associated with it. Cotton yield has reached the lowest ebb during the current fiscal year and the country has to turn towards India to import cotton and run textile industry. The tractor industry is also in trouble due to crisis in the farming sector. According to newspaper reports, contribution of tax from tractor industry was Rs 6 billion last year but it is expected to drop below Rs 2 billion this year due to drying up demand for tractors and their spare parts. At least Rs 4 billion drop in tax collection indicate how the industry is fighting for its survival. According to an official of the Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers, the ongoing crisis will take its toll on the tractors industry, causing a loss of 67 percent in terms of tax revenue. The industrial sector in the world is heading forward, but it is in back gear in this country. Pakistan has developed tractor industry in the region and new demands can be created if the government and the private sector go in tandem. African countries can be a huge market for Pakistani tractors if little efforts are made. At least the country has to excel in one sector to build the economy on modern lines. A workforce of at least 50,000 people is engaged in this industry which produces 500 units per year. The number of people indirectly involved in the business is almost half a million but loss of crops and falling prices of yields have reduced purchasing power of the farmer community. Consequently, a drop in sale has lowered tractor production. The federal government has recently announced Kisan package but no funds have been allocated for the farmers to purchase tractors. The subsidy schemes announced by the Punjab and Sindh governments have either been sidelined or cancelled. Unfortunately, there is a little coordination between the federal and the provincial governments on the matter of farming community. Experts believe inconsistent and short-term strategies of the government can be blamed for the ongoing crisis. The government frequently changes tax laws while loans are extended to farmers at very high markup rate, plunging the farmers into more chaos.
exports within SAARc countries A
LAHORE
DR AftAB AfZAL
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ccording to a World Bank report titled Global Economic Prospects, the ofUicial trade volume within the SAARC countries is less than 2 percent of their gross domestic product as export Ulows of the South Asian nations are highly concentrated with the European Union and United States. At least the one third of the world population lives in South Asia and economies in the region are also growing, but 2 percent ofUicial trade within the countries is not even at an average and this is because of political constraints and territorial conUlicts. The countries in the region have adopted such in-
ternal and external policies in which a tension-free peaceful environment is not an option. Costly conUlict, especially between Pakistan and India, has not only heavily cost the quality of life of common man but also has turned this part of in the world into one of the heavily militarized regionsand a nuclear zone. Defence budgets of Pakistan and India increase every year and no one knows where this trend will lead to. According to the report, Pakistan and India have shifted their focus of exports towards East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa in recent years without exploiting potential of trade in this region. Estimates put the unofUicial Indian exports to Pakistan at $1.8 billion annually.However, both the countries have been trying to
achieve Uiscal stability for the last many years whereas the lower inUlation has enabled the State Bank of Pakistan to cut policy rates to 40 years low. A stronger growth and investment is predicated in Pakistan after implementation of reforms aimed at strengthening business climate, improving security situation and easing energy constraints besides implementation of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor project. The report says that an average growth of the country has been projected at 5.5 percent for the next Uiscal year. The country will also beneUit from rising investments from China under the CPEC agreement, return of Iran to the international economic community and low oil prices in the international market. China will make
around $45 billion of investment until 2030 on the economic corridor which will connect Sinkiang province to the Gwadar while the initiative covers a series of transport infrastructure projects worth $11 billion and energy projects of $33 billion. The private sector will have lion share in the corridor and the associated projects. The corridor project has the potential to lift long-term growth while falling oil prices have improved the conUidence of both investor and consumer.The policy reforms in Pakistan and India have reduced vulnerabilities.The government has already started operation in the troubled areas, including Karachi and it is hoped that peace and stability will bolster investors’ conUidence in the country.
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Govt regulating LPG prices to give masses relief ISLAMABAD: With the aim to give masses relief, the federal government is striving to regulate prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), said LPG Distributor Association Chairman Irfan Khokar. Talking to APP, he said, “A summary spelling out an approach to offset shocks in LPG market and maintain the commodity’s price at affordable range for the consumers throughout the year is awaiting approval by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).” He said the summery prepared following extensive consultations with all stakeholders was providing for regulating LPG prices by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority(Ogra) with periodic prices revision keeping in view relevant factors. However, he added, a domestic cylinder would remain unchanged for Rs 900 throughout the year, if the associations’ input were accorded approval and the same was also sailed through the ECC meeting.
Dubai customs, chamber of commerce sign mou ubai Customs and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to “streamlining the synergy in implementing the Dubai Customs’ in-house developed and owned ‘Risk Engine’ at Dubai Chamber”. The statement said this agreement is “the outcome of both parties’ keenness to achieve optimal strategic goals and to better forge bonds of collaboration, pertaining to trade facilitation and risk mitigation.”
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The agreement, signed at the Dubai Customs head office, is aimed at enabling Dubai Chamber to utilise Dubai Customs’‘Risk Engine’ platform upon its revamp and tailor-fitting it to accommodate Dubai Chamber’s service relating to the issuance of Certificates of Origin (COOs). This MoU aims to cement bilateral relations between the two parties via coordination, joint efforts, exchange of expertise and technological resources. It also aims to make best use of Dubai Customs’ knowledge and expertise by offering the Risk Engine to Dubai Chamber for the sake of screening data risk and ensuring high levels of accuracy in submissions made by clients for issuance of COO. A joint team has been formed comprising technical and other departments within the two entities in order to commence on this new venture. The Dubai Customs Risk Engine is designed to accommodate all types of transactions and cuts the need for human intervention in processing. —CB Report
Wednesday January 13, 2016
Chambers
IccI signs mou with RBf to promote trade and exports I
ISLAMABAD
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slamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Radiant Businessmen Forum (RBF) to promote Pakistan’s trade and exports with foreign countries. Salih Demir Pazarci, Chief Executive OfUicer, Radiant Businessmen Forum and Atif Ikram Sheikh, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed the MoU. Radiant Businessmen Forum is a partner of Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) having 52000 members in Turkey and partners’ ofUices in 135 countries all over the world. RBF has also collaborations with business associations all over the world. ICCI and RBF agreed to work together to promote business linkages of Pakistani entrepreneurs with foreign counterparts, especially with Turkey and African countries that have huge potential for many Pakistani products. RBF will provide facilitation services to ICCI for arranging its business delegations meetings with
Turkish counterparts, relevant public & private organizations, industrial visits, hotel booking and transportation etc. RBF will also facilitate ICCI for arranging its meetings with companies all over the world for promotion of trade and exports of Pakistan. Speaking at the occasion, Salih Demir Pazarci, Chief Executive OfUicer, Radiant Businessmen Forum said that founded in 2014, RBF was working to link Pakistani entrepreneurs with foreign counterparts by means of its partner organizations worldwide. He said RBF will help
ICCI members, who were interested in promoting their business at regional and international level, in reaching out to global markets. He said RBF’s outreach to regional and international business associations would help boost the existing volume of Pakistan’ trade with foreign countries, especially with Turkey and African countries where RBF has strong collaborations with business associations. He assured to work for developing better understanding of Pakistan’s business potential and promote its
Refund claims: traders told to approach fto
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ederal Ombudsman M. Salman Faruqui has advised the business and industrial community of Karachi to take up the issue of pending refund claims of genuine cases with the Tax Ombudsman who is empowered to take decision within 60 days. Exchanging views during his visit to Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Federal Ombudsman reiterated that the business and industrial community must submit their formal complaints pertaining to refund claims to tax ombudsman who has powers equivalent to the judge of Supreme Court and is authorized to take Suo moto notice to deal with such matters. Tax Ombudsman Abdul Rauf Chaudhry, Banking Ombudsman
Anisul Hasnain, Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women Justice (Retd.) Yasmin Abbasey, Chairman Businessmen Group and former President KCCI Siraj Kassam Teli, Vice Chairman BMG and Former President KCCI Tahir Khaliq, President KCCI Younus Muhammad Bashir, Senior Vice President KCCI Zia Ahmed Khan, Vice President KCCI Muhammad Naeem Sharif, Former Presidents KCCI AQ Khalil and Majyd Aziz along with KCCI Managing Committee members were present on the occasion. Commenting on the overall performance of Federal Ombudsman, Salman Faruqui informed that around 16,000 complaints were being received at the Federal Ombudsman every year and the decision against each complaint is taken within 60 days. He pointed out that during the last two-and-a-half years,
a total of 207,000 complaints were decided and there was absolutely no backlog. “Moreover, during the last three months of 2015, all the complaints were being resolved within 45 days which clearly indicates the improved performance of Federal Ombudsman”, he added. He further told the business and industrial community that Federal Ombudsman will soon be undertaking a campaign on experimental basis in which they plan to decide cases within 15 days by sending FO teams to around 500 districts and tehsils across Pakistan. “It is going to be a unique initiative as this has not been practiced by any ombudsman around the world”, he added. Salman Faruqui said that Federal Ombudsman was fully authorized to take Suo Moto notice and hundreds of Suo Moto notice have been taken during his tenure as Federal Ombudsman.
positive image in the world. At this occasion, Atif Ikram Sheikh, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Pakistan has great potential to promote its exports to various regions of the world and to realize this objective, it was essential to connect Pakistani businessmen with genuine and right counterparts in other countries. He hoped that ICCI and RBF collaboration would go a long way in identifying robust opportunities for promoting Pakistan’s trade and exports with many new countries all over the world. Meanwhile, The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has welcomed the four-year tax amnesty scheme announced by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for traders and termed it a good move as it would help in broadening the tax net and improving the tax revenue of the country. ICCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh, Senior Vice President Sheikh Pervez Ahmed and Vice President Sheikh Abdul Waheed said that one of the main reasons of tax evasion in Pakistan was a complicated tax system, which discouraged many potential taxpayers from coming into the tax net.
Australian chamber to open trade office in tehran he Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has decided to open a trade office in Tehran, Australia’s Ambassador to Iran Paul Foley said in his meeting with Mehdi Karbasian, the board of directors’ chairman of Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO). Foley said the Australian Trade Commission, Austrade, is planning to send a trade delegation to Iran before May. The delegation will be led by Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew John Robb. Major Australian companies in the field of mining, industry and commerce would also be part of the delegation.—CB Report
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Saif bin Zayed honours Dubai Customs Director Ahmed Mahboob Wednesday January 13, 2016
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DUBAI: H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, has honoured H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs , in recognition of Dubai Customs ‘ supporting role to the Customer Service Excellence Diploma. The recognition came during the graduation ceremony of 490 government employees – the second batch of the Diploma, which took place recently at the Police Officers Club in Abu Dhabi. H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih hailed H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s recognition of Dubai Customs ‘ supporting role to the Customer Service Excellence Diploma. “I would like to extend sincere gratitude to H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed for bestowing this honour upon Dubai Customs and thank the Ministry of Interior’s Customer Service Department for their excellent organisation of the event,” he said.
three tonnes of cocaine seized in major Spain drug bust
Nepal customs points revenue hit by Rs 580m KATHMANDU
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he UK nationals arrested were Uive men from Liverpool – aged 34, 59, 47, 31 and 47 – a 41-year-old man from Kingston-upon-Thames and a 50year-old man from Thornbury. The narcotics were seized in the northwestern region of Galicia but were bound for the south, where they were awaited by a gang of British smugglers in the Costa del Sol, police said in a statement. “We are talking about two very important organizations”, El Pais’ police source said. The video shows Spanish police uncovering vast amounts of cocaine at a warehouse in Galicia, as well as a Uirearm and one million euro (£730,000) in cash. “The British nationals are suspected of being the buyers of the drugs, the Dutch are believed to be
two accused of smuggling meth from Hong Kong wo women have been accused in federal court of bringing methamphetamine into Guam from Hong Kong. Tsz Kei Lee and Yau Li face charges of importation of methamphetamine. On the morning of Dec. 29, Lee and Li arrived in Guam from Hong Kong, where they were confronted by a Customs and Border Protection officer. When a Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency officer searched Li, the officer allegedly found a combined 1.18 kilograms of methamphetamine contained within packages taped to Li’s thighs. A search of Lee reportedly turned up an additional 1.19 kilograms of methamphetamine. When interviewed, Lee reportedly told investigators that she agreed to bring the drugs in from Hong Kong in exchange for the equivalent of roughly $9,000. —CB Report
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the sellers while the Spaniards were detained for transporting the cocaine”. The Iberian Peninsula is considered the main gateway to Europe for cocaine from Latin America. Of those arrested, eight are British, two are Dutch and two are Spanish. British Costa del Sol-based villains became major players in the multi-billion-pound drugs trafUick-
ing industry operating through Spain after early forays into cannabis smuggling by the Uirst waves of gangsters in the late seventies and early eighties. Last month, police said they had seized 40 pallets made out of 1.4 tonnes of compressed cocaine made to look like wood that arrived on a shipping container from Colombia.
evenue collection from various customs points hit Rs 580 million on last week. It was the highest single day collection after the border blockade started from the third week of September. The revenue collected on Wednesday compares with collection Uigures during normal times, said Damodar Regmi, deputy director general of the Department of Customs. The DoC said per day revenue collection has exceeded Rs 500 million since mid-December, even though Birgunj, the major border point remained closed. Before the border blockade was imposed, the total revenue collected from all customs points averaged around Rs 600 million a day. Birgunj used to be the major revenue contributor, but at present, the
contributions from Bhairahawa and Biratnagar have gone up signiUicantly after the Ulow of vehicles through these border points started to increase. “The Ulow of vehicles has increased at all the check points, except Birgunj,” said Regmi. Apart from Bhairahawa and Biratnagar, the Ulow of vehicles carrying daily essentials — including petroleum products and industrial raw materials — has increased at other points such as Nepalgunj and Kakarbhitta. The same is the case with Krishnanagar (Kapilvastu) and Dhangadi (Kailali), from where only a limited number of vehicles were allowed to enter till November. After the border blockade, the highest number of vehicles 1,545 entered Nepal from India via various check points on Wednesday. The number of vehicles coming to Nepal fell slightly on Thursday, at 1,265. Since mid-December, the number of vehicles entering Nepal through various check points has exceeded 1,000 per day, according to DoC.
turkish authorities arrest 2 for Dubai court sentences man to jail for smuggling Van Dyck painting urkish authorities have de- bourhood where they had tried to smuggling 2kg cocaine tained two people who were make the sale.
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passenger has been sentenced to Uive years in prison followed by deportation after being caught at Dubai International Airport with more than 2kg of cocaine hidden in his underwear. Dubai Court of First Instance was told the Italian man was stopped because he was behaving oddly in transit. OfUicials searched him and discovered he was wearing three pairs of underpants, in which he had stashed 2.05kg of the drug. The 59-year-old Italian ad-
mitted a charge of smuggling earlier and court also Uined him Dhs50,000 despite his claim that the drugs were for his personal use. He was stopped in the transit area on May 10, 2015 after arriving at the airport on a Ulight from Brazil. “He was walking in a suspicious way and was confused and kept looking around,” a 24-year-old police ofUicer said. “I waited until he reached the checkpoint and I noticed there was something hidden in his underwear.”—CB Report
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caught smuggling a painting which experts suspect is by the 17th century Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck. The authorities had seized the artwork in Istanbul after two businessmen attempted to sell it to undercover Turkish police ofUicers for 14 million lira ($4.6 million, 4.2 million euros). The two men had reportedly bought the painting from a criminal gang for $200,000. They were arrested at the luxury hotel in Istanbul’s historic Topkapi neigh-
But that based on an analysis by Istanbul art experts, authorities believe the work is a lost original by Van Dyck, potentially worth millions of dollars. The painting had hung on the wall of a family in Georgia for 15 years but they had no idea that it may have been a missing work by an Old Master. A woman named Eka Abashidze told media that her family decided to sell the painting in 2010 after falling into Uinancial difUiculties, according to Interfax.—CB Report
taoyuan airport police catch 2nd cash smuggler in 3 days
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aoyuan airport police said they intercepted a Hong Kong man who was attempting to smuggle NT$12.47 million (US$372,839.8) from Taiwan to Hong Kong on Sunday. The man, surnamed Ning ( ), is the second cash smuggler caught at
the airport in three days. Taiwan law states that passengers may not take over NT$100,000 in cash out of Taiwan, and it sets penalties for departing passengers who fail to declare foreign currency valued at more than US$10,000. Ning told airport police on Sunday that he was moving the cash out of Taiwan to proUit from the exchange rate difference amid a rapidly depreciat-
ing New Taiwan Dollar. According to Taiwan airport police, the suspect was in Taiwan on an all-expenses paid trip and had expected to earn HK$2,000 if successful. The case is under investigation at the Customs Administration for handling in accordance with Taiwan law. Police said Ning, 58, had planned to take a Ulight to Hong Kong at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. He was intercepted around 4
p.m. Sunday when passing through security at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal One, Customs reportedly found NT$6.77 million concealed in carry-on luggage and NT$5.7 million in checked luggage for a total of NT$12.47 million. Three days ago on Friday, Taoyuan airport customs ofUicials conUiscated nearly US$28,000 from a Taiwanese man departing for Macau.
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North Sea Forties crude oil to load 22 cargoes in Feb BERLIN: North Sea Forties crude oil will load at a rate of 455,171 barrels a day in February, down from January’s revised rate of close to 523,000 bpd, trade sources said. The February programme includes 22 cargoes of 600,000 barrels each, which make up a total of 13.2 million barrels. The January programme included 25 cargoes originally, plus at least two additional cargoes that were deferred from the December schedule, following an outage on the Forties Pipeline System that limited availability of Forties crude for delivery around the middle of this month.
3D printer shipments in china reach 34,000 units ccording to IDC, 3D printer shipments in the China market reached over 34,000 units in 2014, and are expected to have reached 77,000 units in 2015, exhibiting a growth rate over 120%. This growth rate is largely driven by sales of desktop 3D printers priced under US$5,000. As the China government continues to promote 3D printer awareness and usage within schools and educational institutions, the desktop 3D printer market is expected to maintain an annual growth trend in the coming years. “China’s local 3D printer market will surpass the US market in 2016 with an annual growth rate over 100%. However, the US is expected to retain its position as the market leader in terms of market revenues, due to the greater proportion of high-end printers adopted by the manufacturing sector,”
Ports & Shipping
Abu Dhabi ports implements port community system
production underway at cheniere’s Sabine pass terminal heniere Energy has begun production at its Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas terminal in Louisiana, according to Bloomberg. Previously Cheniere had intended to start shipping LNG from the new plant before the end of 2015 but it announced in October a delay to that schedule, meaning a likely date for first export shipment would be some time this month (January). Cheniere has invested $11bn in Sabine Pass, which is the first complex designed to liquefy and export natural gas from America’s vast inland shale formations. Its main target markets are in Europe. The terminal has six production plants, known as trains, which are used for chilling the natural gas. Meanwhile, Some Chinese importers of refined copper have reduced bookings of term shipments for 2016, expecting lukewarm domestic demand and weak prices to continue, industry sources in China said. Term shipments of refined copper are likely to fall 2030 percent in 2016, said one executive at a large trading firm in Shanghai, putting average monthly term imports next year at about 200,000 tonnes, down from 250,000 tonnes a month in 2015. The drop in term volumes would likely cut refined copper stocks in China’s.—CB Report
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A said Wendy Mok, research manager for IDPS at IDC China. “To capitalize on this growth, 3D printer vendors will have to discover and meet the demands of corporate users and the trend of industrial transformation in China. Vendors should aim to provide comprehensive solutions in different market segments in order to increase their competitiveness,” added Mok. Desktop 3D printer shipments contribute over 90% of the China 3D printer market. However, low-end desktop fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers priced as low as US$500 occupy a high proportion of the desktop market. On the other hand, professional 3D printers make up 78% of total revenues in the 3D printing market.—CB Report
Wednesday January 13, 2016
bu Dhabi Ports, the master developer, operator and manager of ports and Khalifa Industrial Zone in the Emirate, has started initial trial operations of its Port Community System, ‘Maqta Gateway’, following the successful completion of Stage1 of the overall project development. Maqta Gateway, the Uirst purpose built Port Community System (PCS)
in the Emirates, now offers shipping lines, shipping agents, customs agents, terminal operators and other government agencies a single pointof-access and real-time information across a wide range of services. Maqta Gateway, designed in line with international standards, can be accessed via any online device offering its users an optimal experience through enhanced business processes and greater transparency. Abu Dhabi Ports, with the support from its partners, has been able to launch trial operations of Stage1 in record time. Employing the necessary systems and implementing an innovative model for managing and
streamlining port services was driven by the declaration of 2015 as the ’Year of Innovation in the UAE‘, “Maqta Gateway will play a prominent role in facilitating the growing import and export activities, positioning Abu Dhabi as a major business hub in the region,” said Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports. “Our goal towards the Emirate’s economic diversiUication goes beyond supporting the mandate. At Abu Dhabi Ports, we strive to constantly innovate and employ new technologies to become key enablers of diversiUication by streamlining maritime trade in the Emirate.
Lenovo’s server shipments drop over 20% in 2015
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espite the acquisition of IBM’s server business, Lenovo’s server shipments dropped over 20% on year in 2015 and the company is pushing aggressively to land datacenter orders from clients such as Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, according to sources from the upstream supply chain, adding that the China-based vendor is looking to ship one million servers in 2016, up
40% from those in 2015. Lenovo became the third-largest server brand vendor worldwide after the acquisition of IBM and saw major increases in revenues and market share in 2015; however, its combined shipments in 2015 were lower than the previous year. Digitimes Research’s data also showed a similar trend. Worldwide server shipments were about 9.71 million units in 2015, down 6.3% on year, while Lenovo’s shipments combining with those from IBM were 650,000-700,000, down 22-
27% on year. The sources believe Lenovo’s shipment drop was due to weakening demand from the traditional enterprise server market as the market is the main business source of both Lenovo and IBM’s server business. Despite rising datacenter server demand, Lenovo is at a disadvantage due to its late entry. In addition, with Lenovo still integrating the two departments’ personnel and product lines, some of IBM’s original clients shifted orders to other ODMs. However, with the integration almost complete, the is-
sue has started to diminish. For 2016, Lenovo has upgraded its server products with Intel’s latest platform and has become more Ulexible over its component purchasing in order to release more price competitive products. Meanwhile, Imports at the container ports surrounding New York Harbor grew in November compared with a year earlier, after falling in October during a weak holiday shipping season, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Monday.
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Customs Appellate Tribunal to hear 15 cases ISLAMABAD: Customs Appellate Tribunal, Islamabad Single Bench comprising tribunal’s Chairman Ghulam Murtaza Bhatti will hear 15 cases filed by different appellants on Tuesday next. Out of these 15, only two cases were filed by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) filed offices. One case was filed by DG Intelligence and Investigations and the other case was filed by assistant collector customs, Islamabad. M/S Crystal Traders, M/S Asian Trading, M/S Kohinoor Chemical, Aftab Ahmad, and United Wings Trading had filed petitions against Model Customs Collectorate, Islamabad.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
CUSTOMS BULLETIN
customs Intelligence impounds vehicle worth Rs 1.5 million MULTAN SAJID BASHIR
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he Customs Intelligence and Investigation impounded a smuggled vehicle worth Rs 1.5 million from Dera Ghazi Khan. As per details, Additional Director Nisar Ahmad received secret information that a smuggled Toyota Corolla X car was in DG Khan so he constituted a team to capture the car. The DG Khan Uield investigation unit chased the vehicle after having an encounter but the miscreant escaped from the scene. Later, the intelligence team received information that the vehicle was parked in backside of a local hotel namely Shalimar. The team raided the place and found vehicle, which was impounded. It is learnt that the owner of the hotel interrupted and refused to hand over the car but the customs ofUicials called police to tackle the situation and Uinally held the car on the non-availability of import documents under the Customs Act, 1969. Meanwhile, Additional Director Nisar Ahmad is going to attend three days training program in Lahore. According to details, Additional Director Nisar Ahmad left for
Lahore to attend mandatory training of Customs Intelligence and Investigation for the capacity building of ofUicials in the current scenario. Cus-
toms Intelligence and Investigation conducted various training and seminars for their ofUicials to give them sound knowledge about on-going
trends and phenomena in order to tackle multiple issues faced by their ofUicials in speciUic situations. Additional Director Nisar Ahmad is only
from Multan Customs to attend training programmes for their capacity building which would assist them in their future tasks.
faisalabad customs recovers smuggled cinnamon, tamarind FAISALABAD
NAeem SHeIKH
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ustoms Intelligence and Investigation Faisalabad conUiscated foreign origin cinnamon, and tamarind worth Rs 2,832,000 ( approximately ). The market value of non-duty paid containers is Rs 3 million. Sources told Customs Today that Deputy Director Muhammad Riaz Hussain received information
regarding some smuggling attempts. He formed a customs team comprising Muhammad Tahir Iqbal (SIO), Asghar Mehdi Naqvi and Mansoor Nasir (IO) Mukhtar Ahmad and Muhammad Iqbal. The customs intercepted a container bearing Registration No. TKA 722 near Jhang Road Faisalabad and recovered smuggled cinnamon and tamarind. The customs team asked suspect, who was identiUied Muhammad Shahzad s/o Muhammad Azam, to produce legal documents regarding the possession of the container and smuggled items but he failed to provide
any relevant document. The Customs team seized the non-duty paid container and smuggled items and registered a smuggling case against the suspect. Meanwhile, Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigations Faisalabad has seized a nonduty paid Toyota Mark X model 2005. The market value of seized vehicle is Rs 4 million. Sources told Customs Today that Deputy Director Muhammad Riaz Hussain received information regarding non-duty paid vehicles which are plying on the roads. He constituted a customs team com-
prising Muhammad Tahir Iqbal (SIO), Saeed Hayat and Mansoor Nasir (IO) Mukhtar Ahmad, Muhammad Iqbal and Muhammad RaUique (sepoys). The customs team during the road checking near Eden valley 208 Chak Road Faisalabad intercepted a Toyota X and asked its driver who was identified as Muhammad Touseef Anwar son of Muhammad Latif Anwar to produce documents regarding legal possession of the vehicle but he failed to provide any legal documents. The Customs team seized the vehicle and registered
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a case against the owner. Meanwhile, Customs Faisalabad authorities seized a containers loaded with furniture, trolley suit case, TV cabinets, juicer blenders, cell phones, telephone sets, Iranian tiles and other items worth Rs 1.5 millions. Sources told Customs Today that Deputy Superintendent Anwar Perwaiz received information that Shahzad Enterprises Faisalabad importing different items from Hong Kong, China, and Dubai by declaring their description on the transshipment documents.