Mach 24 layout 1

Daily on www.customsbulletin.com

Find us on

pAkIStAN’S fIRSt INDepth NewSpApeR oN cuStoMS

Daily

ABC Certified

Karachi, Fri March 24, 2017

MULTAN

IMRAN ALI

www.customsbulletin.com

C

ollector Saud Imran Ahmad has directed the officials concerned to recover pending arrears as soon as possible for accomplishment of assigned revenue task.

According to details, Model Customs Collectorate Multan has to recover Rs 402 million outstanding arrears under the head of various taxes from different importers.

The Model Customs Collectorate is facing revenue shortfall due to decline in the import clearances after the imposition of Infrastructure Cess from Punjab Revenue Authority. Multan Customs has compiled up a comprehensive report regarding the recovery of

Vol 2, Issue No. 107

Price Rs. 14.00

arrears from defaulters to meet the assigned revenue collection target.

Huge revenue collection amount has been blocked due to litigation and Collectorate of Multan Customs needs to collect outstanding amount of Rs308 million from those who move to court for avoiding payments.

Few importers have also obtained stay orders from court and these importers have evaded taxes of Rs128 million.

It is necessary to mention here that there are Rs180 million outstanding arrears in terms of stamp duty and development surcharges without any stay and these could be recoverable.

Collector Saud Imran have directed Multan law branch to assist customs for ensuring recovery of arrears from defaulters for meeting their assigned revenue targets.

Collector Adjudication-I Asif Marghoob issues ONO against Master Beverages

Senate body for resolving issues related to Special Economic Zones

Govt taking solid steps to strengthen trade sector: Governor

Customs I&I impounds millions of rupees non-customs paid goods and articles

Govt is doing brilliant job by fencing Pak-Afghan border: Fazle Samad

Collector of Customs Adjudication-I Asif Marghoob has issued ONO against M/s | See pAge 02 |

Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet directed BOI to conduct meeting SEZs | See pAge 03 |

Rafique Rajwana says the govt is taking solid steps to strengthen the trade sector | See pAge 04 |

Customs I&I confiscated millions of rupees trolley bags, hand bags, tea, cigarettes | See pAge 14 |

The govt is doing a brilliant job by installing fence to secure the Pak-Afghan border | See pAge 16 |

2

www.customsbulletin.com

Special Car Cell impounds smuggled vehicle worth Rs03m Friday, March 24, 2017

ISLAMABAD: The Special Car Cell of the Directorate General Customs Intelligence and Investigation has impounded a Non-Duty Paid smuggled vehicle Toyota Mark-X worth over Rs03million.

According to sources, the Special Car Cell received a tip-off that a Toyota Mark-X with registration No. AQX-300 Sindh Modelled 2005 (3000-CC) is parked at Rawat Chowk Islamabad. The staff rushed to the spot and found the vehicle parked on the roadside of G.T. Road near Rawat Chowk Islamabad. As soon as the customs staff reached the spot, the driver of the vehicle fled the scene leaving the car abandoned.

National

collector Adjudication-I Asif Marghoob issues oNo against Master Beverages

KARACHI

KARACHI

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt

MuhAMMAD YouSAf

www.customsbulletin.com

www.customsbulletin.com

rovincial Minister for Excise and Taxation and Narcotics Control Mukesh Kumar Chawla said that Rs 36,804 million tax had been collected in eight months.

During the last eight months from July 2016 to February 2017, Rs 36,804 million tax has been collected under various heads, while Rs 31,387 million were collected in the same period during last fiscal year, the minister said, adding that it was a big achievement. He was presiding over a meeting at his office to review the performance of his department. Secretary ET&NC Abdul Haleem Shaikh and Director General Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui also attended the meeting. DG Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui told the chair that Rs 561 million were recovered in motor vehicle tax in February only while total collection in this head was Rs 3,866 millions. In the head of infrastructure cess the tax collection in February was Rs3000m while so far total collection in this head was Rs 2,6012. He added Rs 265 millions have been collected in professional tax, Rs.2000 millions in property tax and Rs 144 million in term of cotton fee.

P

C

ollector of Customs Adjudication-I Muhammad Asif Marghoob Siddiqui has issued Order-in-Original (ONO) against M/s Master Beverages and Foods Limited for allegedly evading customs duty and taxes to the tune of Rs 25.8 million.

According to ofQicial sources, the Directorate General of Post Clearance Audit (PCA) vide contravention report found M/s Master Beverages ‘willfully and knowingly’ claimed the inadmissible and illegal beneQit of the Qifth schedule to the Customs Act 1969 and paying the customs duty at the Qive percent reduced rate instead of actually payable customs duty at the statutory rate of 20 percent.

It had imported two consignments of “4961.24 M2 Steel Workshop as Prefabricated Building for Dairy Form” classiQiable under PCT Heading 9406.0020 and cleared the same from Customs Appraisement West through clearing agent M/s Cavish Associates (Private) Limited.

The goods are declared as prefabricated building for dairy farm to avail concessionary rate of customs duty whereas on-line NTN veriQication available on the on FBR’s website shows that the business activity of the importer is manufacture of soft drinks, production of mineral

Sindh excise collects Rs 36,804m tax during first eight month of fY2016-17

water and bottled waters’ which obviously has not connection the dairy industry. Therefore, the conditions speciQied in column (5) of the table given in the 5th schedule are not met. M/s Master Beverages evaded an amount of Rs Rs 25.8 million Customs Duty Rs 20.29 million, Sales Tax Rs 3.44 million and Income Tax Rs 2.13 million).

The importer has thus contravened the provisions of Section 32(1), (2), (3A) of the Customs Act

1969, Section 3, 6, & 7 read with Section 34 of the Sales Tax 1990 and Section 148 of Income Tax Ordinance 2001 punishable under clauses (1), and 14 of Section 156(1) of the Customs Act 1969, Section 33(5), of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 and Section 148 and 182 of Income Tax Ordinance.

Subsequently, the Qirm was given a show-cause notice and opportunity to defend its case. Its counsel vehemently denied the charges leveled against it. Muhammad Asif

Marghoob Siddiqui observed that after going through the whole record and reply/arguments of all sides as also reproduced above, I have come to the conclusion that the respondent importer have failed to establish that beneQit of 5th Schedule to the Customs Act, 1969 was available to them as the principal activity of the importer is “manufacture of soft drinks, production of mineral water and bottled waters” which has not link with the dairy industry.

Sukkur customs confiscates contraband goods T

HYDERABAD

ASLAM ANJuM QuReShI www.customsbulletin.com

he ASO has seized 10 smuggled cartons of LED monitors and six cartons of CPU worth Rs 360500 involving duties and taxes of Rs389594 during an action in Sukkur. Following the instructions of Collector Hyderabad Agha Shahid Majeed Khan, a team was constituted under the supervision of Additional Collector Rehmetulah

Vistro to carry out operations in the region to curb smuggling.

The ASO team intercepted a vehicle at Jacobabad checkpost and recovered the said items being smuggled from Quetta.

The ASO team asked the driver of the vehicle to produce the legal documents of the import and possession of goods but he failed to prove anything genuine, so the customs seized all the items under the customs bylaws.

After making seizure report, the

team deposited the conQiscated items into the Sukkur State Ware House. The raiding team comprised Superintendent Ghulam Shabbir Phuputo, Inspectors Nasrullah Jilal, Ayaz Ali Shah, Abdul Wahab Sheikh, Muhammad Jurial Abbasi, Agha Nazir Ahmed, Sepoys Shabbir Ahmed Thebo, Iqbal Sheikh, Hawaldar Mehram Ali, Driver Manzoor Shori and other staff.

Meanwhile, The Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO), Customs Preventive Sukkur, has seized smuggled CAT

(Caterpillar) shoes of different sizes (Made in Vietnam), Timberland men’s shoes, Couture men’s shoes, Zillionaire Italian shoes, GUCCI men’s shoes and Leather Sole shoes worth Rs01.5million involving duty and taxes of Rs843192 during an action in Sukkur division. Sources told Customs Today that Additional Collector Rehmatulah Vistro received a tip-off regarding the smuggling of foreign origin goods. He formed a team, comprising Superintendent Ghulam Shabbir Phulputo, Inspectors Nasrullah Gi-

lan, Ayaz Ali Shah, Rahib Ali Abro, Abdul Wahab Sheikh, Muhammad Jurial Abbasi, Agha Nazir Ahmed, Sepoys Shabbir Ahmed Thebo, Iqbal Sheikh, Hawaldar Mehram Ali, Driver Manzoor Shori and other staff, which took part in the operation. The ASO team intercepted a public vehicle near Jacobabad checkpost and recovered the said items. Prior to the recovery of said items, the team asked the driver to produce documents regarding the legal import of the items but he could not prove legality of the goods.

3

www.customsbulletin.com

197,000 metric tons wheat to be procured from Jhang JHANG: As many as 197,000 metric tons of wheat will be procured this year from Jhang district by the Food department. A transparent mechanism will be evolved for purchase of wheat. This was told in the meeting held here Tuesday to review incoming drive of wheat procurement. The meeting was presided over by Deputy Commissioner Mudassar Riaz and was attended besides others by ADCG, all 4 Assistant Commissioners of the district and District Food Controller.The meeting was told that 17 Procurement Centers had been established where all possible facilities would be provided to wheat growers.

NAB arrests fraudster who gulls millions of rupees from masses

Friday March 24, 2017

National

Senate body for resolving issues related to Special economic Zones

PESHAWAR

IRfAN BAhADuR

www.customsbulletin.com

he National Accountability Bureau, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (NAB KP), took actions against Jamal Khan Khattak, Ex-Area Sales Manager Peshawar, Nestle Pakistan Limited, involved in gulling money at large. The official NAB KP told Customs Today on Friday that inquiry against the said manager was initiated on the complaints received by the NAB which conducted investigation few days ago. The case stated that he was found allegedly involved in cheating public at large and gulled millions of rupees from innocent people in the name of fake business in the Nestle Pakistan Limited.

T

faisalabad customs auctions fetch Rs14.00m FAISALABAD

NAeeM SheIkh

www.customsbulletin.com

he Model Customs Collectorate Faisalabad collected Rs14.00million revenue through auction of miscellaneous confiscated goods. The Faisalabad Customs organized public auctions recently. It presented 97 different lots consisting of tyres and tubes, dismantled vehicles, welding rods, auto-parts, kids’ suits, solar panel fans, cloths, plastic granules, computers and various fax machines for auctions. All items were seized by the Anti-Smuggling Organisation (ASO). During the auctions, only six miscellaneous lots were successfully auctioned which included Lot No: 36/2015-16 worth Rs90,000, Lot No: 105/2014-15 worth Rs 201000, Lot No: 12/2016-17 valued Rs 210000, Lot No: 41/2016-17 priced Rs 450000.

T

ISLAMABAD

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

S

enate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on directed Board of Investment (BOI) to conduct meeting with all the stakeholders for resolving the issues related to Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

The meeting was held here at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Muhammad Talha Mehmood. Members of the committee including Senator Hidayat Ullah, Senator Mir Muhammad Yousaf Badini, Senator Khushbakht Shujat and Senator Ms. Najma Hameed attended the meeting.

Senator Nauman Wazir Wazir Khattak and Senator Taj Haider was the special invitee of the meeting.

The meeting discussed the matter regarding the “number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) established notiQied in the country so far” referred by the House to the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat in its sitting held on January 10th, 2017. The committee recommended Board of Investment to prepare a detailed report after conducting meetings with the provincial governments regarding the establishment of Special Economic Zones.

The committee said that BOI should be strengthened for bringing improvement in the pace of work on the SEZs. The committee recommended

Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) to ensure release of salaries to daily wages teachers and other contractual employees of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) within one week.

The committee decided to take up a bill titled “The Islamabad Capital Territory Senior Citizens Board Bill, 2017” moved by Senator Chaudhry Tanvir Khan in the Senate in its sitting held on February 13,

the meeting discussed the matter regarding the “number of Special economic Zones (SeZs) established notified in the country so far” referred by the house to the Standing committee on cabinet Secretariat in its sitting held on January 10th, 2017

pAec, cpIh sign Mou on cooperation T

KARACHI

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt

www.customsbulletin.com he Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and China Power International Holding Ltd (CPIH) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for general cooperation between the two entities. Under this MoU, PAEC and CPIH would develop extensive collaboration in the power sector in Pakistan. It was signed by PAEC member Syed Ziauddin and Presi-

dent of CPIH Wang Binghua in Karachi. PAEC Chairman Muhammad Naeem and Commercial Counsellor at Consulate of People’s Republic of China in Karachi Guo Chunshui witnessed the signing, says a statement here on Tuesday.

China Power International Holding Limited is a core subsidiary of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), one of the top Qive state-owned power groups in China. CPIH mainly was engaged in the development and operation of power projects, including

coal-Qired, hydro, natural gas, wind, solar energy, biomass, waste-toenergy, as well as coal and electricity consortium projects. By end of 2016, the total installed capacity of CPIH was 28 GW, in addition 20 GW projects are under development. The total asset of CPIH was about 20 billion dollars and the total employees of CPIH were 18,000. Recently CPIH has been investing in the energy sector of Pakistan; not limited to two 660MW each coal-Qired power plants under CPEC at Hub town, Balochistan.

2017 in the next meeting of the committee. The committee also discussed the outsourcing of the airports advertised, pointed out by Senator Taj Haider in the Senate in its sitting held on February 16, 2017. The meeting was attended by senior ofQicials of Civil Aviation Division, Ministry of CADD, Capital Development Authority, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, governments of Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Inspector Shahid retires after being declared unfit hahid Jan, a Pakistan Customs Service officer of BS-16, has retired from the government service.

The officer, last posted as Inspector at Model Customs Collectorate, Peshawar, stood retired after having been declared “unfit” for further government service by the Central Medical Board with effect from February 16.

S

4

www.customsbulletin.com

Property portal launches ‘New Project’ section on its mobile app Friday March 24, 2017

Business

LAHORE: Zameen.com, Pakistan’s No. 1 Property Listing and Real Estate portal, has recently added new features and functionality to its mobile app.

The mobile app will now boast the ‘New Projects’ section; a feature available on the Zameen.com website as well. Through this feature, users can browse through new and upcoming housing and commercial projects available in the realty market.

For the ease of users, search for new projects can be narrowed down by type of property or even location i.e. the city.

1. The new feature allows users to search for New Projects.

govt taking steps to strengthen trade sector ISLAMABAD

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

G

overnor Punjab Malik Muhammad RaQique Rajwana says the government is taking solid steps to strengthen the trade sector by giving top priority to solve its core issues.

He further said country is now on the path of development and more investment is coming which would generate employment opportunities for youth. A level playing Qield is provided for the promotion of business activities in the country, he added.

Governor stressed the need to improve agriculture production system on scien-

Shc orders release of trawler KARACHI

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

indh High Court of (SHC) has ordered to release of a trawler against payment of fine etc. An appellate bench of comprising Justic Munib Akhtar and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed. The bench earlier perused a report by the Nazir in a constitution petition filed by on Munawwar Hussain, owner of the vehicle alleged to have been used in a smuggling case.

According to the report, the vehicle was in custody of the Nazir as ordered by the court.

S

tiQic lines to enhance sustainable food production as there is a dire

need to encourage farmers on the use of modern agricultural tools to

get maximum production to meet present and future food demand of the country.

Meanwhile, The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs, Syed Tariq Fatemi who is on an ofQicial visit to Saudi Arabia, held a meeting with Saudi Minister for Labour and Social Development, Ali bin Nasir Al GhaQis on Wednesday in Riyadh. According to a press release of the Foreign OfQice issued here, Tariq Fatemi thanked the Saudi Minister for the warm hospitality and stated that the government of Pakistan was striving to further strengthen its cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in various Qields for the beneQit of both the peoples. He also appreciated the cooperation of the Saudi Government in assisting Pakistani workers.

$4m uSDA programme boosts pakistan’s phytosanitary capacity P

ISLAMABAD

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

akistan’s ability to comply with international trade rules for increasing agricultural exports has been boosted by a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) supported project for increasing the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity of plant and animal health regulatory ofQicials of the federal and provincial governments.

USDA has spent over $4 million in a six-year ‘distance learning pro-

gramme’ which will strengthen the country’s efforts to increase agricultural trade. “Proper regulations of exports and imports are key to meeting the demands of foreign buyers as well as protecting Pakistan’s domestic agriculture and consumers. We are hopeful that these courses will serve as a resource for the country’s phytosanitary regulations,” said Agriculture Counselor David Williams. Since 2011, USDA, the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), and Texas A&M University joined forces to create the distance learning project to bolster Pakistan’s

SPS skills and knowledge. Sharing details of the project during her interaction with media here on Wednesday, Deborah Hamilton, International Programme Specialist of USDA said a core group of thirty officials from the Department of Plant Protection and provincial agricultural departments who have been trained and applying their increased knowledge of trade rules on-the-job. The success of these training modules in Pakistan has made SPS Distance Learning Modules a key component of a new USAID initiative called the ‘Food Safety Network.

pak Shariah compliant segment to reach $17.6b LAHORE

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

rovincial minister for finance Dr Ayesha Ghous Pasha said on Wednesday that Islamic banking services in Pakistan will continue to grow, estimating that the Shariahcompliant segment will reach $17.6 billion in assets by 2018. Islamic finance body drafts new standard for centralised sharia boards Speaking at the 5th Global Forum on Islamic Finance organised by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology in Lahore, Pasha said that Islamic banking has gained enormous attention both globally and locally. “Due to its resilience in financial crisis, Shariah compliant finance models have gained popularity in many economies,” she said. “Alongside this, Islamic finance also features investment in real assets and risk-sharing, hence it has grown tremendously in the past few decades.”The provincial minister for finance added that Pakistan has a mature financial industry that has been focusing on broadening the Shariah compliant sector in a country with more than 190 million people.

“Islamic finance is expected to take off in Pakistan in the coming years due to new regulations on Shariah compliant banking, new industry supporting regulatory bodies, as well as the rising demand from foreign investors,” she said, adding that the country’s.

P

Budget to be presented before Ramazan ISLAMABAD

T

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

he government has decided to announce budget for the next Qinancial year 2017-2018 before the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, which would focus on enhancing GDP growth and generating job opportunities.

The government will present the budget in the federal cabinet dur-

ing last week of May for approval.

The budget will be presented in the National Assembly and Senate on the same day. Similarly, the meeting of National Economic Council will be held in the Qirst week of May. The government would share the indicative budget ceilings with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the upcoming talks under article IV in Dubai from March 28. The government would also share the economic performance of the outgoing

Qiscal year 2016-17.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting on Wednesday to review the state of preparations for the upcoming budget. The Finance secretary briefed the minister about budget preparations. The minister was informed that following issuance of Indicative Budget Cielings to the ministries/divisions the process of preparation of budgetary estimates was at an advanced stage.

The minister was further in-

formed about the meetings that have been undertaken till date with different stakeholders including business community, traders, representatives of chambers of commerce and industries besides economic experts and professionals.

Dar was apprised that useful inputs have been received for the budget.

The minister said that comments and proposals received from different stakeholders should be given due consideration in Qinalising the

budget document.

Dar emphasized that all budget related activities should be undertaken in accordance with the agreed time line. He said closer coordination between the Ministry of Finance and other ministries/departments was imperative to carry out the budget exercise in a cohesive manner. He further said that budget would reQlect the government’s resolve for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

www.customsbulletin.com

ADVERTISEMENT

5

6

www.customsbulletin.com

www.customsbulletin.com

ISLAMABAD

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customstoday.com

p

akistan and Switzerland signed the revised agreement on avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income.

The agreement was signed by the Ambassador of Switzerland, Marc George and Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Dr Muhammad Irshad. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Federal Finance Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan, other officials from the Embassy of Switzerland, Ministry of Finance and Federal Board of Revenue were also present on the occasion.

The revised Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement between Pakistan and Switzerland will open new vistas for cooperation, especially in the areas of exchange of information for tax purposes. It contains improvements with regard to the taxation of service fees and capital gains resulting from the sale of qualifying participants. These rules promote economic exchange in bilateral relations. The agreement also contains an arbitration clause, which should guarantee the avoidance of double taxation.

One of the highlights of the re-negotiated treaty is the replacement of the Article on “Exchange of Information” with the new one reflecting the internationally accepted standard which is based on the OECD Model. The new Article on Exchange of Information will considerably expand the existing scope of information to be obtained on request basis for the enforcement of domestic tax laws. It will also provide access to bank information for tax purposes and such information

Friday, March 24, 2017

shall not be refused solely because the in- of the Head of FDF, the Swiss government formation is held by a bank or other fi- informed the Government of Pakistan that nancial institution. For this purpose, the it can no longer proceed with the signing Requesting State will be providing infor- in Berne on March 21. In the interest of mation to the Requested State such as the avoiding any delay in the signing of the identity of the person under investigation agreement, the Government of Pakistan and period of time for which the informa- proposed that the signing may be held in tion is requested.

Islamabad on March 21.

The existing Avoidance of Double Taxa- The Swiss government acceded to this tion Agreement between Pakistan and proposal and authorized the Ambassador Switzerland was signed in 2005, and en- in Islamabad to sign the agreement, while forced in 2008. However, subsequent to the Prime Minister of Pakistan issued the the Federal Cabinet approval in August instrument of full powers for the FBR 2013, Pakistan had approached Switzer- chairman to sign the agreement. The land for incorporating the updated ver- Swiss government has also proposed a sion of the Article on Exchange of Infor- meeting between the finance minister of mation based on the OECD Model.

Pakistan and the Head of FDF of SwitzerIn August, 2014, Pakistan delegation vis- land on the side-lines of the upcoming ited Switzerland for re-negotiation of Pak- Spring meetings of the World Bank Group Swiss Treaty and initialled the draft and the IMF on April 21 – 23, 2017. The agreement between the two countries. government of Pakistan has agreed to the However, in order to safeguard national proposed meeting. interests and to bring certain provisions After signing, both the States will underof the initialled agreement in line with take internal procedures for ratification of Pakistan’s tax policy, Switzerland was re- the Agreement. After exchange of instruquested for a second round of negotiaments of ratifications, the Agreement tions which was finally agreed in will come into force in Pakistan on first May, 2016 and held in Berne, July of the next calendar year followSwitzerland in June, 2016. The ing that of the entry into force. negotiations were held in a very cordial and friendly atmosphere and all the issues were amicably resolved.

It may be recalled that the Swiss government had invited the finance minister to sign the agreement with the Head of the Federal Deation le tax partment of Finance (FDF) of b u o ce of D Switzerland, and had proposed n and oidan v A d akista the signing to be held on March e p s i n v e e e for th e r 21 in Berne. However, owing t bet w vistas n e w e m n n f to unforeseen commitments A g re e re a s o ill ope

a dw n the erlan es. iall y i c Switz e urpos p s p e x , a n t o or rati d to tion f coope re g a r orma f h t n i i f w s nge o ital ment excha d c ap n prove a m s i e s e tain ifying vice f It con of ser f qual o n e o l i t a xa the s the ta f ro m g n i t s l re s u ipant gains par tic

7

8

www.customsbulletin.com

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

pakistan vs world economic scenario

A

ccording to newspaper reports, the government has announced a new strategy to modernize cross-border trade among the member states of the World Trade Organization under the Trade Facilitation Agreement. The WTO had initiated Trade Facilitation Agreement four years ago to ease barriers coming in the way of cross-border trade and simplify the documentation of customs and transportation process.The agreement came into effect on February 22 this year after ratification from a majority of the WTO member countries.

Reports suggest the government has ensured the organization that it is committed to adopt all the reforms after ratification of the agreement. The member countries are willing to launch reform programme in three categories which are labeled as A, B and C.The categories B and C relate to customs departments of the member countries.

The business community of the country is awaiting for an official call to discuss the pros and cons of the emerging situation once the agreement is implemented. As it usually happens in other matters, the government lacks time and ability to prepare itself for a new world trade order.

However, the Commerce Ministry has asked the National Trade and Transport Facilitation Committee to consult the private sector on the world trade issues.

Experts believe the government has already made commitments to the world trade body without taking the private sector of the country into confidence.

Apparently, there is a lack of trust between the stakeholders and the official cadre which needs to be removed. The Federal Board of Revenueis seeking five years to sharethe rules, procedures, forms and policy matters of the department. It is hoped that the trade cost will be reduced by 14.5 percent after the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. The agreement will also pave the way for foreign direct investment in the member countries, including Pakistan. Due to access to information facility after the agreement, experts believe it will increase revenue collections of the customs and reduce corruption.

trade ties with kabul, New Delhi O LAHORE

DR AftAB AfZAL

www.customstoday.com

n its western side, Pakistan has closed its border with Afghanistan after a string of deadly suicide bombings hit the country last month and failure of the Kabul government to rein in terrorists. On the eastern side, India has suspended the cross-border trade with Pakistan along the Line of Control on the excuse of cross border Qiring in which the Trade Facilitation Centre on the Indian side was damaged. The trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan was suspended as terrorists were freely coming to Pakistan without any hurdle and shacked the country from Karachi

to Peshawar and from Quetta to Lahore. The puppet Kabul government is not tired of blaming Pakistan for Taliban insurgency in their country, but is itself helpless to act against terrorists on its side of the border. Thousands of trucks and trailers have been stranded on both sides of border at Torkham and Chaman and trade between the two countries have come to a grinding halt. The traders of Pakistan and Afghanistan are bearing millions of rupees daily losses and many perishable commodities have lost their worth in the border mess.

It is clear that anti-state militants on the Afghan soil had orchestrated the violence from their hideouts but the Kabul government is either unable to act

against them or has thousands reasons to avoid confrontation with them. As a landlocked country, Afghanistan heavily depends on Pakistan for trade, which is considered economic lifeline of the war-torn country. Thousands of containers have stranded on the two sides of the borders, but the Afghan government is not ready to shake hand with Pakistan. It is fully following the policies of New Delhi and has maintained hostile posture against Pakistan without taking into accounts its consequences. Trade is the best diplomacy and Kabul should avoid taking hostile posture against Pakistan on behest of India. The Kabul government has so far failed to boost security on the 2,600 kilometer long border

and has failed to nab 76 fugitive militants who are sheltering in Afghanistan. The economy has acquired a central stage in every country of the world, but the two hostile neighbour of Pakistan have failed to lend ears to the clarion call of the time. The era of wars is over and countries are struggling to make progress in the Qields of business, trade and investment. God knows the best from where the two countries have learnt to achieve diplomatic failures when all the countries are making peace. India has already bulldozed Pakistani efforts to sit on the negotiating table and resolve all the outstanding issues.

The only option left for Pakistan is to let the two side suffer for their own wrongdoings.

9

www.customsbulletin.com

RCCI organizes awareness seminar on export finance scheme RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) in collaboration with State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has organized an awareness seminar on Export Finance Scheme here on Saturday.

Addressing the participants, President RCCI Raja Amer Iqbal urged the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to avail the State Bank of Pakistan’s Export Finance Scheme.

The central bank’s scheme could help SMEs to meet their financial needs, he said adding, both, developing and developed countries have recognized the importance of SMEs sector which plays a vital role in the development of a country’s economy.

Raja Amer said SMEs are an important factor of the economic circle which provides a basis for industrialization and mass production.

SccI urges govt to include epZ in Special economic Zones SIALKOT

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

ialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has urged the government to include “Sialkot Export Processing Zone” (EPZ) in the list of the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for the grand mega project of China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Talking to the newsmen here today, the SCCI President Majid Raza Bhutta said that the Sialkot Export Processing Zone (EPZ) could be a perfect choice for its inclusion in the plan of establishing SEZs for the CPE as well, be-

S

sides, considering Sialkot EPZ location and future connectivity projects for Pakistan’s first ever Export Triangle comprising on Sialkot, Gujrat and Gujranwala districts and the adjoining areas including the Sialkot-Lahore Motorway. SCCI President demanded the SEZs status for the Sialkot EPZ, saying that Sialkot EPZ should be included in the priority list of the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for CPEC. He also highly hailed the government’s sincere efforts and a comprehensive plan to attract investment, primarily in import substitution manufacturing in the areas of domestic advantage by identifying 09 priority areas for setting up of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). He said that the initiative would serve to reduce external vulnerability and tackle the chronic balance of payments issue of Pakistan’s Economy. SCCI President Majid Raza Bhutta revealed that the industry of Sialkot heavily relies on imports of raw materials especially from China for further value addition and re-export purposes as well.

Friday March 24, 2017

Chambers

pakistan-Iran to initiate trade with cAS via land route T

LAHORE

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

he LCCI President Abdul Basit said that participation of Iranian President Rouhani and visit of high-level Iranian delegation led by the President of Iran Chamber Engr. Gholam Hossein ShaQie to the ECO Conference in Islamabad is an ample proof of the cordial and friendly relations between the two countries. Government plan to send a team to revisit the GSPA (Gas Sale Purchase Agreement) with Iran will go a long way and will provide an effective solution to country’s energy crisis.

The Iranian Consul General Mohammad Hossein Bani Assadi while talking to the LCCI President and former President Syed Mohsin Raza Bukhari at Iranian Consulate said that the business community in the two countries would have to increase interaction to share their experiences in the larger interests of the people of two brotherly nations, through sector-wise trade delegations and single country exhibitions from the platform Chambers of Commerce in the two countries.

The LCCI and business community of Lahore in general hails the new business visa policy and introduction of business visa drop box facility. LCCI is very pleased that for Punjab, it is entrusted to a member of LCCI”. He said that such steps will beneQit bilateral trade relations of Pakistan with Iran, since countries share border, rich resources, culture and religion. He said that through Iran, Pakistan can initiate trade with Central Asian States via land route forming an important region for

Global Economics due to CPEC and One Belt One Road. Lahore as premier chamber will be leading the trade with Iran and ECO counties and delegations are being formed to visit neighboring countries. Abdul Basit added.

Iranian Consul was further informed General that Governor State Bank during his recent visit to LCCI assured Pak-Iran Banking channel to be reconnected sooner than expected. The Consul General said that Iranian Airlines would start opera-

tions with initially two Qlights per week one from Lahore and one from Karachi to Tehran in near future. He added that Iran has completed its part of Fiber Optic Cable which only needs connection with Pakistan to improve the telecommunication structure between the two countries. The President said that letters would be written to Prime Minister and Ministry of Communication that communication gap should be bridged if we want to cement mutual trade relations.

Dubai chamber of commerce participates in Africa investment conference

fccI trade delegation to visit Spain, Italy

T

trade delegation of Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) is expected to visit Spain and Italy during this month. In this connection, FCCI President Engineer Muhammad Saeed Sheikh paid a special visit to Spanish Ambassador Carlo Moralais and appreciated his efforts to promote bilateral trade between two countries. The FCCI president said that the ambassador was kind enough to accept his proposal for the exchange of bilateral trade delegations in addition to arranging single country exhibitions in each other countries. The Spanish ambassador assured that he will provide maximum facilities to the FCCI trade delegation schedule to visit Spain during this month.

DUBAI

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

he Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently participated in the Investing in Africa conference in London, an event put together by the Wall Street Journal. Majid Saif Al Ghurair, chairman of the Dubai Chamber, addressed those in attendance at the conference, speaking about the importance of trade between Dubai and Africa. He also talked about the Chamber’s expansion plans on the continent.

“Dubai’s trade relationship with Africa has gone from strength to strength in recent years, supported by the trade missions led by the Chamber and the expansion of our

international ofQices in promising markets on the continent,” Al Ghurair said. “The number of African companies registered with Dubai Chamber has now exceeded 12,000, which is a testament to the increased cooperation between both sides.” In attendance at the event were Patrick Njoroge, governor of the Central Bank of Kenya; Uche Orji, managing director and CEO of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority; Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, director general and CEO of the National Pension Commission of Nigeria; Chris Folayan, founder and CEO of MallforAfrica.com; Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank; and Mo Ibrahim, chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

Meanwhile, The 1st cycle of the

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MRM) Business Innovation Award, launched by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates’s Ministry of Economy, recently led to the adoption of new and innovative strategies among companies in the region. “The ministry is collaborating with key stakeholders in the UAE to implement innovative strategies in the private sector, including the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Innovation Award, which aims to foster a culture of innovation and creativity within business communities in the UAE and across the GCC region,” Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE minister of the economy and chairman of the panel of judges for the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award, said.

A

10

www.customsbulletin.com

Inspector Shahid retires after being declared unfit by CM Board Friday March 24, 2017

National Irfan takes charge as Director of karachi transit trade ISLAMABAD

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

ISLAMABAD: Nasir Iqbal, a BS-20 officer of Inland Revenue Service, has relinquished the charge of the post of Chief. The officer, in pursuance of Establishment Division Notification No. 1/25/2017-E-4, dated 08.03.2017, relinquished the charge of the post of Chief at Federal Board of Revenue (HQ), Islamabad with effect from March 16.

Meanwhile, Ten Inland Revenue Service officers of BS 19-20 have relinquished/assumed the charge. The officer, in pursuance of Board’s Notification No. 0784-IR-I/2017, dated 08.03.2017, relinquished/assumed the charge with effect from the dates indicated against each.

fBR starts crackdown against over 21,000 non-filers F

ISLAMABAD

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

rfan Javed, a Pakistan Customs Service BS-20, has taken the charge of the post of Director, Directorate of Transit Trade. The officer, in pursuance of Board’s Notification No.0715-C/2017 dated 03-03-2017, relinquished the charge of the upgraded post of Additional Director (BS-20), Directorate of Internal Audit (Customs), Lahore on March 7 and took the charge of the post of Director, Directorate of Transit Trade (Customs), Karachi on March 13. Meanwhile, Samia Ejaz, a BS-20 officer of Inland Revenue Service, has assumed the charge of the post of CommissionerIR. The officer, in pursuance of Board’s Notification No. 0784-IRI/2017, dated 08.03.2017, took the charge of the post of CommissionerIR (HRM) at Corporate Regional Tax Office, Lahore with effect from March.

I

Ashraf takes charge as Director of Quetta I&I shraf Ali, a Pakistan Customs Service BS-20, has assumed charge of the post of Director, Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation-FBR, Quetta. The officer, in pursuance of Board’s Notification No.0715-C-I/2017 dated 03.03.2017, relinquished the charge of the upgraded post of Additional Collector at Model Customs Collectorate (Appraisement), Lahore with effect from March 4 and took charge of the post of Director, Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation, Quetta on March.

Meanwhile, Khalid Hussain Jamali, a Pakistan Customs Service BS-19, has assumed charge of the post of Additional Collector. –CB Report

A

ederal Board of Revenue (FBR) is starting crackdown against more than 21,000 non-taxpayers. The FBR teams would raid the business premises of non-taxpayers and seized their goods and records and even impose Qine and penalties after arresting them. The action would be taken against those nontaxpayers who are not replying to notices issued for production of documents and records.

This was stated by FBR Member Operations Rehmatullah Wazir while addressing chief commissioners and commissioners of Lahore and Karachi regions, the other day.

The FBR teams would arrest the non-taxpayers under Income Tax Amended Act 2016, Article 125. The

raiding teams would seal the business compounds of non-Qilers in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Hyderabad, Multan, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Sukkur, Abbottabad,

Gujrat, Faisalabad and other big cities simultaneously.

FBR sources said that large scale audit exercise had been launched by tax departments but most of taxpayers were not reply-

ing accordingly. Therefore, tax offices are imposing fine and penalties under Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. The Inland Revenue officers are invoking Section 182 to imposing fine and penalties for non-compliance with provisions of Section 177 of the Ordinance.

In case a taxpayer fails to produce the record of documents on receipt of first notice then such person will pay a penalty of twenty-five thousand rupees.

In case a taxpayer fails to produce the record or documents on receipt of second notice then such person will pay a penalty of fifty thousand rupees.

Meanwhile in case, a taxpayer fails to produce the record or documents on receipt of third notice such person will pay a penalty of one hundred thousand rupees.

gB stays plus with Rs826.16m income T

ISLAMABAD

tARIQ DeRYA

www.customsbulletin.com

he Model Customs Collectorate Gilgit-Baltistan exceeded in all duty taxes amongst all the stations of North Region with extra amount of Rs826.16million. The assigned target was Rs1320.80million whereas the collection was 2146.95million during July to February of Financial Year (FY) 201617. According to sources of chief collector ofQice headquarters Islamabad, North Region comprises four customs stations including MCC Islamabad, Peshawar, Samberial and Gilgit-Baltistan. The Customs North Region was assigned the target of Rs23121.80million under the head of all duty taxes whereas the North collected Rs21975.84million against the assigned target while it has the shortfall of Rs1145.96million.

The MCC Islamabad was assigned Rs8414.00million target under the head of collection of all

duty and taxes whereas it collected Rs8359.46million against the assigned target during July to February 2016-17. The collectorate of Islamabad lost Rs54.54million against its assigned target for all duty taxes.

The Peshawar Collectorate was

assigned the collection target of Rs14044.00million under the head of all duty taxes whereas the collectorate collected Rs12128.33million under the same head. In this way, the collectorate has lost Rs1915.67million during eight months (July to

February) FY16-17.

The North Region’s Customs Station Collectorate of Samberial was assigned the Rs757.00million target under the head of collection of all duty taxes whereas it collected Rs658.90million against the assigned target.

11

www.customsbulletin.com

FIA arrests 20 human-traffickers SIALKOT: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested 20 human-traffickers from Gujranwala Division. According to FIA Deputy Director Khalid Anees, the accused have been arrested from Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad and Gujranwala districts.

The accused had been running the business of sending people abroad illegally.

Meanwhile, The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a human trafficker Muhammad Rafique son of Manzoor Hussain during an action. Sources told Customs Today, that FIA Deputy Director Syed Imam Zaidi and Sub Inspector Taimoor Haider, Tanveer Bajwa conducted a raid along with his team near Guttwala and arrested the accused who was running illegal business of sending innocent people abroad after extorting big amounts from them.

IRS asked to compile data of persons involved in real estate business KARACHI

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

he Inland Revenue Services (IRS) has decided to verify the business documents of those proprietors who are dealing in the property sale and purchase business, it is learnt here.

According to details, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) through a letter has asked the Inland Revenue Services (IRS) to collect all tax and revenue details of those persons who are dealing in property sale and purchase matters and also verify the business documents of those proprietors who are involved into the said business. The sources informed Customs Today that the FBR has received in-

T

formation that the persons involve in property business are not paying their land and other taxes which on one hand gives colossal loss to the national exchequer, while on the other hand, turn the black money into white by investing it into the property matter. Replying to a query, the sources further informed that the IRS commissioner has already asked all the concerned authorities of the related departments to start working on the subjected matter and compile a comprehensive report in this regard. The sources further disclosed that the IRS would start working over the project by 13-March, 2017 and would take a month to submit a final report before the competent authority during a month of time. It is pertinent to mention here that the real estate business in metropolis is on the rise in the recent days, and billions of rupees investment is being inducted into the said business during the last six to eight month and the said business is become the lucrative avenue for the investors after the Pakistan Stock Market (PSX).

National

Shc directs tax dept to restore sales tax registration of M/s cosmos Int’l

customs court adjourns hearing of case filed against mobiles smuggler LAHORE

M IMRAN MehAR

www.customsbulletin.com

he Special Federal Court of Customs Taxation and Anti-Smuggling adjourned the hearing of a case filed against Muhammad Sarwar who was arrested from Sialkot International Airport.

Sources told Customs Today that Mohammad Sarwar, who was travelling from South Africa to Sialkotm was intercepted by the customs officials deputed at Sialkot airport. The customs team found 30 costly mobile phones from his luggage.

The customs team asked the accused to produce legal documents regarding possession of mobile phones but he failed to show any legal documents. The team arrested the accused and presented him before customs court for physical remand but the customs judge denied the request of the customs investigation team for physical remand and sent him to jail for judicial trial.

Muhammad Sarwar also filed a petition for his post arrest bail that has also adjourned because of unavailability of prosecutor of the court.

T

T

KARACHI

M B RANA

www.customsbulletin.com

he Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the tax authorities to restore the sales tax registration of the petitioner immediately, however, the petitioner may not be allowed to claim any refund or input adjustment in respect of local purchase till the next date of hearing.

The court ordered this on a constitutional petition Qiled by M/s Cosmos International, seeking restoration of its sale tax registration suspended by tax authorities.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and Justice Muhammad Arshad Khan, was hearing the petition.

During the hearing, no one has shown appearance on behalf of the respondents’ in-spite of services of the court notices. Counsel for the petitioner has drawn the attention of his court to the order dated 28/02/2017, whereby, the court directed the respondents that some responsible ofQicer should be in attendance on the next date of hearing. But during the hearing, neither any comments have been Qiled on behalf of respondents, nor the con-

Friday March 24, 2017

cerned ofQicer has shown appearance to assist this court on the subject controversy.

The counsel for the petitioner further submitted that on account of illegal suspension of sales tax registration and blacklisting, the petitioner’s business has come to a halt, hence requested that some initiate relief may be allowed to carry on lawful business activity during pendency of the appeal before appellate tribunal. After the hearing, court observed in its order that, “as

an indulgence, we are adjourning the matter to March 17, 2017 with the directions to the concerned ofQicer to be present the court on next date along with all relevant record, in meanwhile, respondents are directed to restore the sales tax registration of the petitioner immediately, so that petitioner may transact his business activities, however, petitioner may not be allowed to claim any refund or input adjustment in respect of local purchase till next date of hearing”.

ASo impounds vehicle & goods valued Rs03.3 million

T

HYDERABAD

ASLAM ANJuM QuReShI www.customsbulletin.com

he Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) has impounded a vehicle Toyota Surf modelled 2000 without registration and recovered smuggled items, including foreign origin cigarettes branded Kinn, Oscar Millano, Pine Light and PUMA shoes, worth Rs03.3million involving duty and taxes of Rs03million during different actions at Jacobabad-Larkana checkpost inSukkur division.

About 1000 cartons of Kinn cigarettes, 250 cartons of Oscar Millano and 26 cartons of Pine Light

cigarettes valued Rs805000, foreign origin (F/O) six sacks of schoolbags, velvet cloths, toys and geometry boxes worth Rs928900 during February 2017.

Collector Hyderabad Agha Shahid Majeed Khan directed his staff to curb smuggling attempts in the region. Sources informed Customs Today that Additional Collector Rehmatulah Vistro constituted several teams to foil smuggling attempts. These teams conducted various raids under the supervision of Superintendent Ghulam Shabbir Phalputo. The team also included Inspector Nasrullah Gilan, Inspectors Ayaz Ali Shah, Rahib Ali Abro, Abdul Wahab Sheikh, Muhammad

Jurial Abbasi, Agha Nazir Ahmed, Sepoys Shabbir Ahmed Thebo, Iqbal Sheikh, Hawaldar Mehram Ali, Driver Manzoor Shori and other staff. The ASO team successfully seized abovementioned non-duty paid vehicle being used for smuggling transportation.

The accused failed to produce any legal documents regarding the possession of vehicles and items.

Now ASO authorities forwarded cases of seizures to customs adjudication. After the seizure, the ASO deposited the conQiscated goods items into the Sukkur State Warehouse.

Meanwhile, Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) Hyderabad, Customs Preventive Sukkur, has conQis-

cated ten smuggled sacks of betel nuts weighed 780 kg worth Rs425000 involving duties and taxes of Rs216750 during a raid in Sukkur division.

Sources told Customs Today that Collector Model Customs Collectorate Hyderabad Agha Shahid Majeed Khan received a tip-off about the smuggling of foreign origin betel nuts. He immediately formed a raiding party under the supervision of Additional Collector Rehmatuallah Vistro.

The team intercepted a vehicle near checkpost Jacobabad-LarkanaSukkur-Division and recovered the said item. The item was being transported from Quetta to Sukkur.

12

www.customsbulletin.com

Jordan, WB discuss prospective loan agreements Friday March 24, 2017

World

AMMON: Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Imad Fakhoury, Sunday discussed with a World Bank official agreements for three loans the bank plans to extend to the Kingdom to support the state budget, startups and medium-size enterprises. Two of the loans will be channeled to support the budget and one will be used to establish a national entrepreneurship fund to support emerging startups and medium enterprises, according to a ministry statement issued following Fakhoury’s meeting with Vice President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa, Hafez Ghanem. It said the minister and the WB official discussed technical assistance provided by the WB to Jordan in areas of business-doing environment reforms, poverty assessment, management of public investments and public-private sector partnership.

New Amman customs centre opens in Madouneh

Afghan banks post afs 930 million annual loss KABUL

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

AMMAN

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

T

D

eputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Monday inaugurated the Amman Customs Centre project in Madouneh, worth JD93 million, Qinanced by the Social Security Investment Fund (SSIF).

The project, implemented by the government in cooperation with the private sector on the build-operatetransfer principle, is one of the strategic development schemes aimed to increase investments in East Amman, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Mulki said that the project is located on the Amman Development Corridor, a vital highway inaugurated some two months ago, and in an area that needs development to attract more investments and urbanisation. This project will be

SAp to open cloud data centre in Qatar ompany targets a 50% increase in ICT spending expected from companies in the Middle Eastern nation as cloud becomes of paramount relevance to businesses across the board. Continuing a wave of data centre openings, software giant SAP has announced it will launch a private cloud data centre in Qatar. The plans were unveiled by the company at QITCOM 2017 hosted in the Qatar this week. Once functional, customers in and around Qatar will gain access to SAP Hana, a relational database management system and one of the provider’s flagship products. Gergi Abboud (pictured), Managing Director of the Gulf, North Africa, Pakistan, Levant for SAP, said: “Real-time information management is the foundation for Qatar’s organisations to drive Qatar National Vision 2030 digital transformation and economic competitiveness goals. –CB Report

C

staffed by 100 engineers and 300 workers from the local workforce, the premier said, adding that the scheme marks the beginning of genuine cooperation between the public and private sectors in employing Jordanians.

Public Works and Housing Minister Sami Halaseh noted that the new customs centre was designed

according to modern international standards, as recommended by the Jordan Customs Department.

The facility’s area stands at 1,350 dunums and will accommodate up to 900 trucks simultaneously, explained Halaseh, adding that it is expandable to lodge 256 extra trucks.

The compound houses 320 customs clearance ofQices.

china to re-open french beef imports after 9 years ban

T

he Chinese authorities have decided to re-open their doors to imports of French beef.

The French Ministry of Agriculture welcomed the decision taken

by China to partially lift the embargo that hit French beef since 2001 as a result of mad cow disease. “This decision, taken almost nine years after the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recognized France’s controlled risk status, was highly anticipated and will apply to boneless

meat of older cattle Less than 30 months, “the ministry said in a statement. Meanwhile, the French interprofession of livestock and meat welcomed in a statement “excellent news for the French beef and veal sector that will eventually export to China”, the “second largest importer Beef with around 1.1 million tons imported annually“. In mid-January, the United States announced its decision to re-open its door to imports of French. –CB Report

he Central Bank of Afghanistan (CBA) said that local banks in the country posted a AFs 930 million loss for last year.

A CBA spokesman said last year the banking system in the country was quite stable compared to a year before, but added that majority of the Qinancial losses were incurred by three major banks. Some banking experts and economic commentators have said that the difQiculty to obtain loans was one of the fundamental challenges which have been harming the banking system in the country.

Based on statistics of the CBA, banks in the country faced a 1.7 billion AFs loss in 2015 while their interest liability is around AFs 522 million. But the Qigure for 2017 is a AFs 930 million loss. However, banking

S

interests in 2017 were recorded at around AFs 4 billion.

“Interests and loss are common in banking systems and banking loses do not mean all banks in the country are facing Qinancial problems. Some banks have worked at a loss due to the difQiculty they face in obtaining the loans.

Only three banks worked at a loss during the previous Qinancial year,” said Emal Hashor, spokesman to CBA. Economists say factors such as banking expenditures, increased operating costs, security measures and difQiculties while obtaining loans are causing Qinancial losses for the banks. “Problems in banking operations and difQiculties while obtaining the loans is part of the banking loses. Currently some banks have a lot of money, but they cannot invest. This issue also creates extra costs for banks,” said banking expert Mir Ahmad Razawi. In the view of security turmoil in the country and difQiculties of obtaining loans, some banking experts have said that these matters are undermining the growth and development of the banking sector.

cpc cuts fuel prices for coming week tate-owned CPC Corp, Taiwan yesterday announced that it will cut gasoline prices by NT$0.3 and diesel prices by NT$0.4 per liter today following a sharp drop last week in international crude oil prices. CPC said its average crude oil costs last week dropped US$1.58 per barrel to US$543.14 from the previous week after international prices fell following concerns about oversupply as US commercial crude oil inventories hit new all-time highs. Taking into account the New Taiwan dollar’s depreciation of NT$0.093 against the US dollar, CPC said it decided to lower its wholesale prices for diesel and gasoline prod-

ucts by 2.08 percent. Following the adjustments, fuel prices at CPC gas stations are to be NT$24.6 per liter for 92octane unleaded gasoline, NT$26.1 for 95-octane unleaded gasoline, NT$28.1 for 98-octane unleaded and NT$22.2 for super diesel. CPC’s announcement came one day after Formosa Petrochemical Corp announced similar cuts to its gasoline and diesel prices.

Prices at Formosa Petrochemical stations are to be NT$24.5 per liter for 92-octane unleaded, NT$26.0 per liter for 95-octane unleaded, NT$28.3 per liter for 98-octane unleaded and NT$21.9 per liter for super diesel, the company said. –CB Report

Iraq asks oil companies to get used to with low prices

I

BAGHDAD

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

raqi government asks international oil companies to get used to with low oil prices. Iraq’s oil minister Jabbar al-Luaibi sent a letter to several foreign oil companies, asking them not to rein in their ambitions on producing oil.

He stated in the letter, “In light of the current environment of the oil price and its forecast in the next year, we [the Ministry of Oil and contractors] should be prepared to live with the prevailing circumstances.”

But the problem is that the oil contracts in Iraq are structured in such a way that oil companies are paid by the government to produce oil. That means that they need to be

assured they receive payment before they go and spend large sums of money. Last year, the Iraqi oil ministry sent requests to oil companies to lower their spending budgets because the government was unable to pay for them.

Now, the oil ministry is effectively asking the companies to drill and produce aggressively, but suggested that it cannot guarantee proper pay-

ment. The letter apparently argues that Iraq would have more Qinancial resources with which to pay the companies if the companies produce more oil.

However, the companies involved likely view the issue differently. “We’re not a bank,” an unnamed official from one company operating in Iraq said, according to S&P Global Platts.

13

www.customsbulletin.com

Bank Rakyat a takeover target PETALING JAYA: Bank Rakyat, Malaysia’s profitable Islamic co-operative bank, has become a takeover target as part of Bank Negara’s bigger plan to consolidate the financial sector. According to sources familiar with the matter, the idea is being floated around and among the institutions exploring the takeover of Bank Rakyat is Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB). Local conventional banks are also said to be eyeing Bank Rakyat. “It is still at an infancy stage. It’s early days and remains an idea that is being explored,” said a source. PNB which is the country’s largest fund management company, has three major financial institutions in its stable and is believed to be open to the idea of acquiring Bank Rakyat in a move which could lead to value creation between Bank Rakyat.

Bangladesh-hong kong trade reaches $1.7b in 2016 he two-way trade between Bangladesh and Hong Kong reached at $1.7 billion in 2016 mostly favoring the island-city.

Bangladesh imported products including telecommunication equipment and fabrics worth $1.5 billion, while its exports were US$ 0.2 billion in the last calendar year. The figures were disclosed at a press conference of Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), a Hong Kong-based exhibition organizer, held in a city hotel.

Bangladesh can enhance its trade and business relations with Hong Kong and other Asian countries through participating in different trade shows there, said Johnny Wan, director of Exhibitions Market Development of HKTDC. Hong Kong is a strategic location and close to China, he said, adding buyers from across the world visited the fairs organized by the company and Bangladeshi suppliers could increase their business connectivity with them. –CB Report

World Customs

gang bringing drugs to Bengaluru from Nepal busted

alaysia’s Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) saw the black for the fourth quarter (Q4) ended Dec31, 2016, registering a net profit of RM11.26 billion against a net loss of RM2.96 billion in the previous corresponding period, driven by lower net impairment on assets and production costs. Revenue, however, contracted 2.5% from RM60.1 billion to RM58.6 billion, on the back of lower average realized product prices. Brent crude prices averaged US$49.46 a barrel for Q4 compared with US$45.85 a barrel in Q3. For 2016, Petronas’ net profit expanded 12.7% from RM20.86 billion to RM23.51 billion in the previous year on the back of a 17.3% rise in revenue from RM247.66 billion to RM204.91 billion. –CB Report

M

Singapore stocks see strong boost from higher oil prices ingapore stocks got a strong tailwind boost from higher oil prices and a rally on Wall Street after the United States central bank raised benchmark interest rates as expected by a quarter point but was less hawkish than expected on the pace of future rate hikes. The Index rallied at the opening bell, lifted by the three banks and property blue chips including City Developments, UOL and CapitaLand. As at 9.10 am, the STI was up 0.55 per cent or 17.39 points at 3,154.82. DBS was up 0.4 per cent or 8 cents to S$19.21, OCBC rose 0.3 per cent or three cents to S$9.68 and UOB was up 0.6 per cent or 12 cents at S$21.63. Some analysts had thought the Fed might boost the number to three more this year. The less hawkish tone also sent the US dollar sliding against the Singdollar. As at 9.40 am, one US dollar fetched 1.4038 Singdollars, a change of 0.0086 since Wednesday. “It was a case of sell the USD on the news. A weak dollar could also mean that hot money could flow to Asia today, and some of it may find its way to Singapore, where many stocks are undervalued,” remisier Alvin Yong said. “Property counters are up despite the prospect of rising interest rates because of the view that prices are bottoming,” he added. –CB Report

S

T

Malaysian petronas faces RM2.96b loss in Q4, 2016

Friday March 24, 2017

KHATMANDU

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

I

n a major breakthrough, Mico Layout police busted a drug peddling gang with the arrest of four members, including a person from Nepal. Charas and marijuana worth Rs 27 lakh have been seized from them.

The arrested are Ashok Bahadur (21), native of Nepal, Bijay Singh (30), resident of HSR Layout, Nizamuddin (25), resident of N S Palya, BTM Layout, and Avishek Singh (34), resident of Hosapalya. They

were caught with 2.7kg of charas and 5.3kg of marijuana.

The police said the drugs were being smuggled from Nepal to Bengaluru via Delhi. The accused would cover the charas with three layers of thin plastic cover and hide it in a plastic material which looked like jowar. They would transport the goods in a tonga and cross the border to Uttarakhand.

From there, they would come to Delhi in a bus, where they generally sold some amount of drugs to their Delhi dealers. The remaining was transported to Bengaluru in train.

Ashok Bahadur had come to the city a year ago. He joined a private Qirm as a security guard and realised

there was a huge market for drugs in Bengaluru. Since such drugs are grown in rural areas of Nepal, he started smuggling drugs from across the border. Meanwhile, A 34-yearold man from Sikkim, who was residing in Parbati valley, was arrested

by Kullu police on Tuesday night and 11kg charas was seized from his possession.This is third big catch this month by Kullu police under its special campaign against smugglers.

According to sources, ‘Malana cream’ fetches over Rs 5 lakh/kg in the international market. Still, there is no decline in charas production and its smuggling. Police believe that a large quantity of charas may have been brought from Nepal.

kuwait’s bonds trade near Abu Dhabi after debut issue

K

KUWAIT CITY

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

uwait’s $8 billion debut international bond issue traded close to Abu Dhabi bonds in the secondary market on Tuesday, suggesting the Gulf’s gold standard for sovereign debt now has competition for investors’ attention.

Kuwait’s government sold $3.5 billion of Qive-year bonds and $4.5 billion of 10-year debt. Orders for the issue totalled a massive $29 bil-

lion, bankers said.

By Tuesday, the Qive-year bond had tightened to yield 2.85 percent, compared to 2.88 percent at issuance, while the 10-year was yielding 3.56 percent against an initial 3.62 percent. That put Kuwait inside the secondary market yields of similar bonds issued by Qatar’s government and only slightly wide of Abu Dhabi, which was previously considered the safest credit in the region. Abu Dhabi’s Qiveyear paper maturing in 2021 was yielding 2.57 percent on Tuesday while its 10-year, 2026 notes were at

3.39 percent. For comparison purposes, traders added between 10 and 15 basis points to those yields to account for the Abu Dhabi paper’s shorter time to maturity. Kuwait’s government, one of the region’s strongest Qinancially, had previously indicated it would borrow up to about $10 billion internationally. But a partial recovery of oil prices over the past few months reduced its need to borrow. The International Monetary Fund projects Kuwait will be the only one of the six Gulf Cooperation Council States to run a Qiscal surplus this

year. However, Kuwait’s decision to make a sizeable bond issue now made sense in the context of an expected interest rate increase by the U.S. Federal Reserve later this week, and given expectations for more hikes this year, some fund managers said. Given the tight pricing of the bond issue and the fact that Kuwait may not need to issue again for a long time, some managers suggested the Kuwaiti paper could become relatively illiquid, with Asian investors likely to buy and hold the 10year paper and regional accounts doing the same for the Qive-year.

14

www.customsbulletin.com

Customs court issues warrant for alleged smuggler Friday March 24, 2017

Lahore

LAHORE: The Special Court of Customs Taxation and Anti-Smuggling has issued warrant for an accused wanted in a smuggling case.

According to details, Muhammad Amir Saleem alias Mitho son of Muhammad Saleem, a resident of Garh Maharaja, district Jhang, was issued with many notices to appear before the court for attending the hearing.

But he remained reluctant to appear before the court and defend the imposed allegations, so the Customs Court has issued warrant directing him to appear before the court within 30 days otherwise he will be declared a Proclaimed Offender.

Muhammad Amir is wanted by Customs Faisalabad in a case No: 35/15 against smuggling.

fto hears case of M/s Dyson Research Laboratries against cRto

customs I&I impounds millions of rupees non-customs paid goods

LAHORE

www.customsbulletin.com

SAJID NAwAZ

www.customsbulletin.com

T

he Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has adjourned the hearing of case Qiled by M/s Dyson Research Laboratories Private Limited against Corporate Regional Tax OfQice (CRTO), Zone-V Lahore until the next date.

According to the details, FTO Mian Munawar Ghafoor heard the case in which the counsel for the appellant Muhammad Saif Cheema argued that the Corporate Regional Tax OfQice (CRTO) had failed to release the tax refund of the last two years claimed by the company.

He said that the RTO collected excessive tax from Jahanzaib Rauf Kahloon of M/s Dyson Research Laboratories Pvt Limited during the last

Rto-II recovers Rs 4.2m from punjab Auqaf deptt he Regional Tax Office-II (RTO-II) of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has attached the bank accounts of the Punjab Auqaf Department due to tax evasion. According to RTO sources, the Auqaf Department made payments to the contractors but failed to clear their tax amounts to the Inland Revenue Department. After getting information and all legal process, Withholding Zone of Regional Tax Office-II (RTOII) has frozen the bank accounts of Auqaf Department and recovered tax amount of Rs 4.2 million. On Tuesday, Assistant Commissioner Withholding Zone Talib Hussain along with his team, started action against the department and attached its bank accounts. All outstanding dues were recovered from Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department accounts in Bank of Punjab. –CB Report

T

two years. He approached the commissioner concerned many times for issuance of refunds but the CRTO ofQicials did not pay the refunds after the passage of reasonable time. At the end, the company decided to approach the FTO seeking interference in this case. The counsel appealed the FTO advisor to direct the CRTO to clear the refund claims. The counsel further said that CRTO should refund the excess collection in wake of taxes by the end of Qinancial year but the situation is quite otherwise. Delay in issuance of refunds put burden on the taxpayers, he said, adding that the CRTO Lahore should make audit of the cases and release the extra amount collected by it from the taxpayer. On the other hand, counsel for CRTO argued that the appellant M/s Dyson Research Laboratories Pvt limited has not submitted all record in the ofQice on which basis it is claiming for refunds.

LAHORE

M hAYAt

D

irectorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigations conQiscated millions of rupees trolley bags, hand bags, tea, cigarettes. OfQicial sources told Customs Today that on information of Director ZulQiqar Younas, the Customs Intelligence team intercepted a mini truck on the outskirt of the city and recovered non-customs paid goods and article including trolley bags, hand/shoulder bags, tea cups & pine lights brand cigarettes from the Mazda mini truck.

The non-customs paid items were tactfully hidden in the truck in order to save them from the eyes of the law enforcing agencies.

The sources said that the customs authorities demanded legal clearance documents from the

court adjourns hearing of 16 customs related cases

T

he Customs Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of 16 cases related to customs matters. During the hearing of most of the cases, the counsels for the accused requested the court to postpone the hearing of their respective cases for preparation of arguments on which the court adjourned the hearings for different dates.

According to cause-list, three out of 16 cases were Qixed for formal hearing of accused named Shehzad, Abdullah and Tariq. Pre-arrest bail pleas were

also scheduled for Friday. The court also adjourned cases of narcotics, tax evasion, smuggling and customs matters. The cases from Faisalabad, Lahore, Gujranwala and Multan were also scheduled for hearing on Friday.

Meanwhile, The Special Court of Customs Taxation and Anti-Smuggling has issued warrant for an accused wanted in a smuggling case. According to details, Muhammad Amir Saleem alias Mitho son of Muhammad Saleem, a resident of Garh Maharaja, district Jhang. –M Imran Mehar

owner of the truck, however, he failed to produce anything against the loaded goods and articles, thus the, customs authorities conQiscated the goods at the spot. The CIF value of the case is reported at Rs4,876,000/. The Customs I&I team led by superintendent Waqar Ahmad Cheema operated while Inspector Sohail Murtaza and others

T

staff of customs authorities were also part of the raiding team. Superintendent Waqar Ahmad Cheema told Customs Today that in order to curb smuggling Directorate General Customs Intelligence & Investigations has passed strict instructions to all the anti-smuggling staff of the directorate to curb smuggling from inside of the city and around it.

fIA arrests 3 alleged human traffickers

he Federal Investigation Agency is very vigilant against human trafQickers, and the crackdown is also continuing against them.

According to sources of Customs Today, accused Manzoor Hussain son of Ahmed Khan, a resident of Chah Bheer Wala, district Multan, was arrested in a case of FIR No. 153/2016 dated 24-05-2016 u/s 17/22 EO. His CNIC number is 36302-5615391-5. The accused gulled Rs192000 from Complainant Muhammad ShaQi, a resident of 222GB, Sumandri, for an employment in Saudi Arabia. In another action, ac-

cused Safdar son of Falak Sher, a resident of Okara, has been arrested in a case FIR No. 44/2017 dated 1801-2017 u/s 17/22 EO. The accused gulled Rs. 400000 from complainant Sultan Khan, a resident of Jaranwala, Faisalabad, for an employment in Saudi Arabia. Accused Chaudhry Zahid Mushtaq son of Muhammad Mushtaq, a resident of Chak No: 80GB, Faisalabad, has been arrested in a case of FIR No: 86/2017 dated 15-02-2017 u/s 17/22 EO. The accused gulled Rs386000 from complainant Naseem Akhter r/o Bhakkar for an employment in Saudi Arabia. –CB Report

customs Appellate tribunal hears 49 special cases

T

LAHORE

SAJID NAwAZ

www.customsbulletin.com

he Customs Appellate Tribunal heard 49 important cases on Tuesday. The members of the benches from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad heard the cases in Lahore and adjourned all the cases until the next hearing. Chairman

Customs Appellate Tribunal formed special benches to decide the cases.

The Customs Appellate Tribunal special division bench comprising Member Judicial Bench-II Karachi Tahir Zia Mehr and Member Technical Bench-II Karachi Nazim Saleem heard 18 cases of Bicyle and Biclye versus customs Lahore, Sohail Ashraf versus collector customs Lahore, two cases of directorate of

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Faisalabad versus Mirza Rizwan Baig and Muhammad Israr, Mansoor Akber versus customs Faisalabad, Shakir Ullah versus directorate Lahore. Furthermore, cases of Customs Intelligence Lahore versus Saqib Abbas, seven different complaints of Pak Precise, Technobiz, Muhammad Nawaz, Ali Mubashir, Javaid International versus customs

Lahore, Noor Karim versus customs Faisalabad, Collector customs Lahore versus Altaf Shaheen and Collector customs Lahore versus Vijay Kumar. Special division comprising Member Judicial Bench-II Omer Arshed Hakeem and Member Technical Bench-II Lahore Imran Tariq heard 10 cases of Cotton Craft versus customs Lahore, Amjed Javaid versus customs Faisalabad.

15

www.customsbulletin.com

India mulls development of ports WASHINGTON: Indian Ports handle about 90% by volume & 70% of value of the country’s EXIM (Export–Import ) cargo. In order to meet the growing trade requirements of the country, the capacity of the Ports & the cargo handled by the Ports have increased over the years. The installed capacity of the Ports which was 1312 MTPA in the year 2012-13 has gone up to 1716 MTPA in 2015-16 and is likely to reach 1897 MTPA by the end of the 2016-17. Similarly, Cargo traffic handled by the Ports has gone up from 934 MT in 2012-13 to 1072 MT in 2015-16 and expected to be about 1133 MT by the end of 2016-17. Expansion, modernization, development and upgradation of Port infrastructure in the country.

kenya ports Authority to start managing port facilities in kisumu huru which is currently abandoned at Kisumu Pier. a world bank funded sh. 80 million is set to open a maritime school at the port in what could give a major revival for the port. The Kenya Ports Authority is preparing to take over the management of port facilities in Kisumu. Among these is the Kisumu port, currently owned by the Kenya Railways Corporation. The port that once handled cargo worth billions of shillings has for nearly a decade now been underutilised despite its immense potential to boost the county’s economy and generate jobs.

Other facilities include the Kisumu pier, Homa Bay, Kendu Bay, Kowuor, Asembo Bay, Mbita, Muhuru Bay, Mfangano, and Port Victoria piers, all of which are underutilised due to the effect of water hyacinth. The

U

takeover, which is expected to lead to the upgrading of the once vibrant ports, will also include former ports such as Miti Mbili, Mainuga in Rachuonyo, Sindo in Homa Bay, and the Lwanda Kotieno jetties. According to the International Maritime Organisation, all ports should be manned by port authorities, but this has not been the case for the facilities in Kisumu. The change of management comes at a time when several ships and ferries have stalled at the port, either due to mechanical problems or lack of business. They include the giant cargo vessel, MV Uhuru, that used to rake in close to Sh2 billion for every round trip to Port Bell in Uganda. Yesterday, a team of KPA officials toured the Kisumu port. –CB Report

Ports & hipping

govt to spend p6 billion to improve ports WASHINGTON

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

T

he Duterte administration will spend an estimated P6 billion until 2022 to improve port facilities across the country in a bid to attract more tourists who travel on international cruise lines. According to the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) of 2016-2022, a copy of which was obtained by the BusinessMirror, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is expected to beef up port facilities with some P1.9 billion in funds for this year alone.

Better port facilities will enable the Department of Tourism (DOT), which drew up the tourism road map, to hopefully encourage the port call of 402 ships with 456,164 passengers by 2022, from 56 ship calls ferrying 47,098 passengers in 2016. This year the DOT projects 75 port calls to be made by cruise ships carrying 68,763 passengers. The investment of the DOTr will help “develop an international cruise port and marina in Manila,

[and] improve ports in Romblon, Coron, El Nido, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Iloilo”. Also, the cruise-tourism strategy of the DOT aims to “develop the Turquoise and North Triangles”, which covers Manila-Boracay-Puerto Princesa, and Currimao (Ilocos Norte)/Salomague (Ilocos Sur)-Cagayan-Batanes. The strategy will also involve the improvement of ferry services between Cebu and Bohol, Batangas and Mindoro, as well as Misamis Oriental and Camiguin—all considered

prime tourist destinations in the country. The DOT, likewise, eyes the simpliQication of port immigration and quarantine policies for cruise tourists.

During the recent Asian Cruise Dialogue held in conjunction with the Asean Tourism Forum in Singapore, Paul Chong, vice president for Business Development of Carnival Cruises Corp., noted the Philippines has “great potential in becoming one of Asia’s important cruise hubs” primarily because of its strategic location.

Friday March 24, 2017

port of Vancouver votes to extend oil terminal lease he Port of Vancouver has voted to continue to lease land to Vancouver Energy for its proposed oil transfer terminal while the evaluation and permitting process continues. The Columbian reports that port commissioners voted 2-1 to continue the lease after a five-hour meeting Tuesday. The proposed $210 million Tesoro Savage Vancouver Energy terminal would handle about 360,000 barrels of crude oil a day. It would receive an average of four 1.5-mile long crude oil trains daily.

Oil would temporarily be stored on site and then loaded onto tankers and ships bound for West Coast refineries. Vancouver Energy and its supporters contend that the terminal is needed to meet fuel needs and would provide an economic boost to the region. They said it deserves to see the end of the state Energy Site Evaluation Council’s scrutiny. But opponents including tribes, environmental and community groups say they’re concerned about possible oil spills and accidents as more trains cut through their communities, a worry that was crystallized by an oil train derailment in Mosier, Oregon, last summer. –CB Report

T

ed Miyagishima departing position at port tampa E

WASHINGTON

cuStoMS BuLLetIN RepoRt www.customsbulletin.com

d Miyagishima, the Vice President of Communications and External Affairs at Port Tampa Bay and a senior adviser to CEO Paul Anderson, announced that he is leaving his position to “lead the charge” to have Tampa Bay host the 2019 Medal of Honor Convention.

Miyagishima, who had been with the port for four years, made the announcement on his Facebook page Wednesday night. “I’m humbled and excited for this new chapter which will allow me to represent and showcase the American heroes and military community I love and honor, in the city I’m proud to call home,” Miyagishima wrote.

Tampa is working to win the bid for the 2019 convention and will make a presentation to the Medal of Honor Society later this month in

Washington, D.C., he said, reports the Tampa Bay Business Journal. If the city wins the bid, a non-proQit host committee will be formed and he will serve as president and CEO. A prominent Qigure in Republican politics before coming to Port Tampa Bay in 2013, Miyagishima has worked with a number of GOP ofQicials over the years, including Florida Governor Rick Scott. After Scott’s victory over Alex Sink in 2010, Miyagishima worked in the state’s OfQice of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development. Prior to coming to Port Tampa Bay, Miyagishima had served on the U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Connie Mack IV in 2012. He also served a stint on Herman Cain’s presidential campaign in 2011.

A California native, Miyagishima served brieQly with former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009, before going to work for Meg

Whitman’s unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign against Jerry Brown in 2010. His resignation comes a day after WFTS-Channel 28 reported that Port Tampa Bay is lagging signiQicantly behind when it comes to the number of containers coming in, dramatically behind smaller Florida ports like Jacksonville, Miami and Port Everglades. WFTS also reported that Anderson’s annual salary of $382,287 is more than the annual salaries of the CEO’s of the ports in New York/New Jersey and Los Angeles, despite the fact that those two ports bring in millions of containers every year, compared to Port Tampa’s thirty-nine thousand.

Meanwhile, “Being in Tampa is a disadvantage in my business” says Omer Ozer. Omer and his brother Ugur own Stonemart, one of the biggest importers for stone and tile in Florida. They have been using Tampa’s port exclusively for 15 years.

But now, they are considering leaving and alternative resources. “We really love to stay in this town, we really enjoy here for family and everything but of course from business point, it doesn’t really make sense to stay in Tampa. I’d rather be in Jacksonville or Miami” Omer says. Omer says Tampa’s port only has one major ship line run by Zim, and the other ship line, MSC, piggybacks off Zim’s ships.

They say a lack of competition drives up prices. “If we were in Jacksonville or Miami we would be making more than a million dollars a year and have less overhead.” Ugur says. “Tampa bay customers will end up paying more because the cost of freight to Tampa port is higher” Omer adds.

The I-Team found other big companies based here are mostly using other ports. National chain, Rooms To Go, while headquartered in our area , is using Jacksonville’s port way more than Tampa.

16

www.customsbulletin.com

Customs Intelligence team impounds NDP vehicle worth Rs 9.5m ISLAMABAD: Directorate General Customs Intelligence and Investigation of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) impounded a non-duty paid smuggled vehicle Toyota Land Cruiser worth Rs 9.5 million. According to details, the Customs Intelligence team received a tip-off that a non-customs paid smuggled vehicle Toyota Land Cruiser bearing registration no. BS 113 ICT Model 2011 is parked at Sector Markaz F-11. To check the authenticity of the information, the anti-smuggling staff of Directorate rushed to the spot and found the vehicle parked in front of a restaurant.

Friday, March 24, 2017

CUSTOMS BULLETIN

govt is doing brilliant job by fencing pak-Afghan border: fazle Samad ISLAMABAD tARIQ DeRYA

www.customsbulletin.com

T

he government is doing a brilliant job by installing fence to secure the PakAfghan border. This work will be completed within Qive to six months.

After adoption of baggage checking at Torkham, the Anti-Smuggling Organization made several seizures of currency, gold and drugs. The Customs Collectorate Peshawar is facing losses of Rs500million in just a month due to closure of PakAfghan Torkham border. The closure has resulted in trade losses.

The Peshawar Customs Collectorate is trying to meet its assigned target of third quarter (January to March) through adding gold money to the collectorate. Before the end of this current month, the collectorate will hold four public auctions during March to make up the revenue shortfall.

This was stated by Additional Deputy Collector Fazle Samad while giving an exclusive interview to Customs Today here at his ofQice.

He said the collectorate is planning to end the shortfall under different heads by taking decisions of pending cases relating to currency,

gold and conQiscated vehicles. If collectorate succeeds in getting desired results out of said cases then the MCC Peshawar will surly meet its revenue target assigned for third quarter by

the Federal Board of Revenue. He said due to closure of Torkham international border, the revenue, coming through fruit business, is suffering a lot. The collectorate loses

Rs150million Customs Duty whereas it loses Rs350million all duties and surcharges. He remarked that to fulQill the gap created by the closure of international border, the collectorate

has planned to hold four auctions in this current month (March) because the collectorate needs around Rs500million of revenue to Qill the gap of revenue shortfall.

Now customs officials to approve import of vehicles PESHAWAR

IRfAN BAhADuR

www.customsbulletin.com

T

he customs officials will approve the import of vehicles only after the issuance of complete Form-E for certification of goods from commercial banks about the detail of the goods.

The official of Customs House Peshawar informed Customs Today about the recent development

on the directives of the State Bank Pakistan to commercial banks’ branches to show complete details of goods to the custom officials for approval of ‘exports’ on Saturday at Peshawar. He said it will be required to declare the exports to the customs/postal authorities in Form-E which must be certified by the authorized dealers (banks) in order to avoid trouble-doing trade.

In this regard, the exporters are required to write full details of goods being exported and quality as identifiable with the market report, he added.

The Manager National Bank of Pakistan told this scribe that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has expressed concern over the observation that the banks, who were certifying the incomplete Form-E without requiring the exporter to declare full description of goods, caused loss to the national exchequer.

Bank sources added that in order to ensure full disclosure of information by the exporter on Form-E, the central bank decided that banks should not certify Form-E where full description of item being exported was not

clearly mentioned or a generic description was given instead of full details. The central bank further said that it is a responsibility of a bank to compare the bills/or documents with the export form upon receipt of export documents and satisfy themselves that they conform in all respects to the declaration made on the Form-E. “However it has been observed that ADs [banks] do not exercise care while checking the shipping documents and consistency of the description of goods as well as H S Code commodity classification mentioned on goods declaration

Published by M S Raza Off# 42, 3rd Flr Gull Plaza M.A Road Karachi, Printed by Dhoom Printing Building No RY/A, 11/6,11/7, Mashoor Mahal,off I.I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi

with that of Form -E”.

The central bank directed the banks to ensure full description and in case there is disagreement in H S Code or description of goods declared to customs and to the bank on Form E, the bank shall require the exporter to give proper justification for the variation. The SBP also observed that exporters resort to declaring the description of goods that are general in nature or represent the generic name of good instead of declaring full details and quality/varieties/sub categories of goods being exported.