May 31 layout 1 by customs bulletin

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HYDERABAD

ASLAM ANJUM

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odel Customs Collectorate generated Rs1689.917million customs duties and taxes during the last week of May 2017 against the set target of Rs1930.98million. Model Customs Collectorate Hyderabad earned Customs Duty (CD), Sales Tax (ST), Federal Excise Duty (FED) and Income Tax (IT) during the above said period. Collectorate received Rs415.281 Customs Duty (CD) against the al-

located target of Rs370.78million. Collectorate branch was tasked with the collection target of Rs1.518million against the earmarked Sales Tax of Rs1260.937million. It got Rs1.875million Federal Excise Duty (FED) against the set target of Rs2.2million. It received Rs11.824million Income Tax during the above said period against the target of Rs40million. The major tax sources were Hyderabad Dry Port, Sukkur and Larkana Divisions, Hyderabad State Warehouse Huffaz Seamless Pipe Industries, Crescent Steel, Omni Polymer Industries, Rema Cooking Oil and

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Pakistan State Oil.(PSO). Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) also seized non-duty paid goods worth millions of rupees during April-May 2017. Under the supervision of Hyderabad Collector, Akhlaq Ahmad Khattaq, additional collector Rehmatulah Vistro, deputy collector dry port customs, Mushtaq Shahni, and others, played an important role in revenue collection, ofPicials said. During the two months, the ASO aborted various smuggling attempts and made big seizures including non-duty-paid vehicles, cigarettes, diesel, Gutka and other goods worth millions of rupees.

‘Sukkur Customs to surpass collection target set for FY 2017-18’

Rs180 billion package to boost textile exports: Ishaq Dar

World Bank upgrades BISP rating ‘Highly Satisfactory’

Customs ASO intensifies drive against owners of non-duty paid cars

DG Valuation revises customs values of baby diapers, sanitary towels

Collector Akhlaq Khatak has said that the FBR is confident that Sukkur Customs | See pAge 02 |

Dar said that the Rs 180 billion package announcedbythegovtforthetextilesector | See pAge 03 |

WB has upgraded the rating of BISP as ‘Highly Satisfactory’, Economic Survey | See pAge 04 |

Customs ASO impounded three illegally imported cars during a crackdown here | See pAge 14 |

The DG of Customs Valuation has revised the customs values of baby diapers | See pAge 16 |

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ASO seizes 100 cartons of cigarettes priced Rs102500 Wednesday, May 31, 2017

National

HYDERABAD: Model customs collectorate, anti-smuggling organization (ASO), has confiscated imported brands of cigarettes of 100 cartons including 50 cartons of Royal Business and 50 cartons of Benson & Hedges being smuggled into Hyderabad during the first week of May, 2017. The market value of the seized cigarettes is Rs102500 involving duty taxes of Rs178350. Collector Akhlaq Ahmad Khattaq received a tip-off about the smuggling of cigarettes so he formed a team under the supervision of Additional Collector Rehmatullah Vistro.

‘Sukkur customs to surpass collection target set for fY 2017-18’

fto accepts appeal of M/s Al-Shiekh traders against rto Sargodha LAHORE

SUKKAR

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SAJiD NAwAZ

ederal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has accepted an appeal for hearing filed by M/s Al-Shiekh Traders against the Regional Tax Office (RTO) Sargodha till the next hearing. Consultant Tariq Yousaf (I&M) considered the case in which appellant prayed that the RTO Sargodha has not released the refunds to the appellant since two years. He maintained that the RTO Sargodha has been collecting excessive tax from appellant Al-Shiekh Traders for the last two years. Company approached the oﬃcer of the RTO many times for the release of refunds, but the department paid him nothing. Finally, the appellant decided to approach the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) seeking intervention in the case. The counsel appealed the FTO advisor to direct the commissioner of RTO Sargodha to clear the refund claims. The counsel for appellant said the delay in release of refunds put a burden on taxpayers adding that the RTO should make audit of the cases and release the extra amount collected by it from the taxpayers. On the other hand, counsel for the RTO appeared and sought time for further processing of the case.

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ollector Customs Akhlaq Ahmed Khatak has said that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is confident that Sukkur Customs will definitely surpass the revenue collection target set for Fiscal Year 2017-18. He expressed these views during his visit to Deputy Collector Office Customs Sukkur where he presided over a meeting here. He said that performance of Sukkur Customs remained outstanding adding that Chief Collector Manzoor Memon has also appreciated the performance of Customs Sukkur specially Assistant Collector Mumtaz Ali Ghanghro for surpassing revenue collection and lauded his recent operation in which he seized 63 kg of wet opium valuing Rs 131.67 million. The opium was being transported to Karachi via Larkana on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Assistant Colelctor Mumtaz Ali Ghanghro, Inspector Aziz Katper, Makhan Khan, Incharge check post Kashmore Zuilfqar Ali and others. He urged all the officials of the Sukkur Customs to take measures to to facilitate the importers of Sukkur. He said that Sukkur importers are playing vital role for strengthening national economy

adding that strong economy of any country is vital for progress and prosperity. The Collector said that

FBR will extend all out support to Sukkur Customs for achieving revenue collection and urged the staff

of the Sukkur Customs to use all available resources to curb smuggling in the region.

BkiAp customs generates rs4.76m taxes in 15 days of May T

PESHAWAR

tAriQ DerYA

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he Peshawar Customs, the Bacha Khan International Airport (BKIAP), collected Rs4.76million All Duty and Taxes from 1st to 15th of May of Financial Year 2016-17. According to Fazle Samad, Additional Deputy Collector Model Customs Collectorate Peshawar, the BKIAP generated Rs1.27mil-

lion Customs Duty while it did Rs0.55million miscellaneous surcharges during said period. The Peshawar Customs Airport staff received Rs0.04million Redemption Duty on Imports during initial 15 days of May FY16-17. During above said period, the BKIAP earned Rs1.52million Sales Tax whereas it did Rs1.38million Additional Income Tax. During the month of April FY2016-17, Fazle Samad said the

BKIAP got Rs1.40million Customs Duty while it did Rs0.19million miscellaneous surcharges. The Peshawar Customs Airport staff collected Rs0.19million Redemption Duty during initial 15 days of April FY16-17. The BKIAP generated Rs1.57million Sales Tax whereas it did Rs0.14million ST on Imports and the BKIAP got Rs1.08million Additional Income Tax. The BKIAP received

Rs21.56million All Duty Taxes and Surcharges during the month of March FY2016-17. The Air Freight Unit of the BKIAP collected Rs5.83million Customs Duty whereas it earned Rs2.13million miscellaneous taxes and surcharges during March FY16-17. During March FY2016-17, the AFU Peshawar got Rs0.2million Redemption Duty on Imports whereas it received Rs7.0million Sales Tax. During March FY2016-17, the

AFU Peshawar earned Rs0.81million Sales Tax on Imports while it did Rs5.52million Additional Income Tax during above said period. The chief collector north visited the MCC Peshawar during the last week of March 2017 and advised the MCC Peshawar Customs staff to expedite their efforts to meet the upcoming revenue target for the fourth quarter (April to June ) of current Financial Year 2016-17.

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Customs seizes opium worth Rs131.67 million KARACHI: Customs Anti Smuggling Organization Sukkur seized 63 kg of opium worth Rs 131.67 million, being transported to Karachi via Larkana. Chief Collector Manzoor Memon received a tip-oﬀ that an attempt will be made to smuggle foreign origin opium towards Karachi via Larkana. Assistant Collector Mumtaz Ali formed a team headed by Inspector Aziz Ahmed to keep strict vigilance at Larkana bypass. Customs staﬀ intercepted a vehicle at Otha chowk. In preliminary search it was made that three bags of opium were concealed under name of gypsum powder. Detailed search resulted into recovery of 53 packets weighing 63 kg of opium.

Quetta customs suﬀering rs07.00m loss daily due to border closure

Wednesday May 31, 2017

National

rs180 billion package to boost textile exports: ishaq Dar

QUETTA

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he Customs Collectorate of Quetta is facing Rs06.00 to Rs07.0million per day losses of revenue due to closure of Chaman Border. It is said that the Chaman Border Quetta will possibly reopen on Monday or after the Eid for business activities and general public. The Model Customs Collectorate Quetta earned Rs800million all duty taxes and surcharges from 1st to 15th of May of Financial Year 2016-17. The MCC Quetta already surpassed its earmarked target for the whole Financial Year 2016-17 so it can manage revenue losses because of border closure.

ASo seizes black tea, coriander seeds, bags FAISALABAD

NAeeM Sheikh

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he Anti Smuggling Organization (ASO) has confiscated smuggled Indian origin black tea, coriander seeds, shoulder bags worth Rs21,64,365 during a successful raid. Sources told Customs Today that ASO Deputy Collector Usman Tariq deputed Inspector Tanveerul Haq, Khalid Ashraf Noor to check vehicle under an anti smuggling campaign which was started by the order of Collector Muhammad sadiq. The team started the checking of vehicles near Deputy Wala interchange. During the checking of vehicles the team intercepted a vehicle which was coming from Rawalpindi. During search of the vehicle the team recovered coriander seeds (700-kgs) black tea (2200-kgs), parachute shoulder bags. That smuggled items was transported through Super Karwan Goods Ganj Mandi Rawalpindi.

ISLAMABAD

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inister for Finance Muhammad Ishaq Dar said that the Rs 180 billion package announced by the government for the textile sector would help boost textile exports. Addressing the post-budget press conference here, he said the government had given relaxation on the import of textile machinery for modernization and enhancing the capacity of the textile sector. Dar said the government had decided to give drawback on duties on garments by 7 per cent, process fabric 6 per cent, sports goods 7 per cent, carpet 6 per cent, tents 5 per cent, and leather goods 5 per cent for coming 18 months. It was the huge package announced in the country’s history to boost exports, he said, adding through the package, the government wanted to decrease the cost of doing business aimed at enhancing business activities. He said for stabilizing cotton price, a system of hedge trading for the domestics cotton would be initiated. The government, he said, had launched the Brand Development Fund and value addition in the textile sector. He said the approval process for the establishment of 1,000 stitching units had been completed and its implementation would start during FY 2017-18 and completed in three years. He said online textile business

and trade portal for textile using business-to-business and businessto-consumer would also be introduced. Meanwhile, Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar Saturday said that the major incentives had been introduced in the budget to promote housing sector of country. Addressing a post-budget press conference here, the minister said that an important guarantee scheme had been proposed in the budget to encour-

it was the huge package announced in the country’s history to boost exports, he said, adding through the package, the government wanted to decrease the cost of doing business aimed at enhancing business activities

NAB returns rs 630m to Shaheen foundation

ISLAMABAD

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hairman National Accountability (NAB) presented a cheque of Rs. 43 million to Managing Director (MD) Shaheen Foundation, Air Marshal (Retd) Muhammad Jamshaid Khan and amount will be returned to its affected persons. The Bureau so far has returned Rs630 million to Shaheen Founda-

tion recovered from present management of Al-Hamra (Pvt) Limited and Management of Eden Builders. Chairman NAB, Qamar Zaman Chaudhry presented the cheque in a meeting with MD Shaheen Foundation here. In a case of Al-Hamra (Pvt) Ltd and Management of Eden Builders, NAB Rawalpindi has successfully pursued management to realize recovery of Rs 1832.168 million along with profit of Rs 573.412 million from present management of Al-Hamra (Pvt) Ltd, Al

Hamra Avenue Pvt Ltd through its Chief Executive & others. In this case, previous management of the said companies deceived Shaheen Foundation and its 700 members by inducing them to book plots in their projects and received Rs 1258 million (approx). The subject accused has failed to hand over the plots to Shaheen Foundation rather the land was sold to other parties and deprived the members of Shaheen Foundation from their hard earned money.

age investment in housing sector. He said that the government would bear an amount of Rs 121 billion on subsidy on electricity for 300-unit domestic consumers, tubewells and for Balochistan province. He said that the government had faced heavy loss in transaction during sit-ins which was planned just for political gains. He said that everyone had to contribute for improving the economy of the country and to make it economically strong state of the world.

four human traﬃckers held he Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested four human traﬃckers from Sialkot and Daska. According to Divisional Deputy Director FIA Khalid Anees, ,the FIA arrested Muhammad Amjad, Ashraf, Tariq and Nadeem Saghar who were inveloved in sending people abroad illegally after taking amounts from them.

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Telecom revenues reach Rs234.9b in six months ISLAMABAD: The revenues from telecom sector, amid introduction of new and innovative services, have reached around Rs 234.9 billion during first two quarters of current fiscal year. The commercial launch of 3G and 4G services has opened new opportunities for revenue generation for mobile operators providing such services in the country. As per official information here on Sunday, availability of 3G and 4G services has enabled development of new applications and database services, and people of Pakistan are quickly adapting to these new technologies and services.

Wednesday May 31, 2017

Business

wB upgrades BiSp rating ‘highly Satisfactory’ ISLAMABAD

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orld Bank has upgraded the rating of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as ‘Highly Satisfactory’, Economic Survey 2016-17 has revealed. According to the survey, Department for International Development (DFID) conducted the annual review-2016 of the BISP with an overall score. For the graduation of BISP benePiciaries, Akhuwat through Chief Minister’s Self Employment Schemes of Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan and through Prime Minister’s Interest Free Loan (PMFIL)

fBr allows wA to revise statement KARACHI

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Scheme has provided interest free loans to 76,196 BISP benePiciaries. It informed that the incumbent government has enhanced the allocation of the BISP to Rs 115 billion from 70 billion in 2013. The budg-

16 while for the current Piscal year 2016-17 it was extended to Rs 115 billion. It said BISP is committed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and to be the major contributor in eradication of extreme poverty (SDG 1), ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunity (SDG 4) and achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (SDG 5). It said the quarterly cash grant has been gradually enhanced from Rs 3000/- per family to Rs 3600/- in FY 2013-14, Rs 4500/- in FY 2014-15, Rs 4700/- in FY 201516, and Rs 4834/- in FY 2016-17. The number of BISP benePiciaries has also increased from 3.73 million in 201213 to 5 million in FY 2014-15. At present the number of benePiciaries is around 5.42 million.

ISLAMABAD

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akistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) Managing Director Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor has said 100 percent increase in number of domestic tourists has been witnessed during the current season as compare to last year. He said this year PTDC was expecting 50 percent increase more than last year’s 30 percent. He said rather this year the percentage was witnessed to 60 percent, which was a 100 percent to last year’s 30 percent. PTDC had decided to initiate certain steps to facilitate tourists and enhance the revenue generation of the Corporation by taking initiatives of security provision. The step will help make the PTDC a self-sustaining organisation, he added. He said PTDC has re-launched its summer tour packages and announced special rates for hotels, motels and resorts situated in the most tourist-attractive places in the country. PTDC achieved its targets to promote domestic tourism, he added. He said tourist traﬃc to Murree, Galiyat, Ayubia, Kaghan and Swat valley have considerably increased during 2013 and 2014, while Pakistani tourists were now visiting new destinations like Gilgit, Hunza, Fairy Meadows, Rama Lake, Chitral, Kalash and Shandur valleys as well.

LSM registers impressive 5.1 percent growth during 9 months

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ederal Board of Revenue (FBR) has allowed withholding agents to revise their monthly statements within 60 days of filing the original statement. Through Finance Bill 2017, a new sub-section has been inserted to Section 165 of Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 under which withholding agent who after filing of such statement discovers any omission or wrong statement shall be able to file revised statement within 60 days of filing of the original statement.

etary allocations for the BISP was Rs 70 billion in FY 2012-13 which was raised to Rs 75 billion in FY 2013-14, subsequently enhanced to Rs 97 billion in FY 2014-15 and Rs 102 in FY 2015-

‘Domestic tourism increase during current season’

ISLAMABAD

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arge Scale Manufacturing (LSM) in the country has witnessed an impressive 5.1 percent growth during Pirst three quarters of current Piscal year as compared to 4.6 percent in same period last year. The Year on Year, LSM recorded signiPicant growth of 10.5 percent in March 2017 as compared to 7.6 percent of March 2016. OfPicial statistics Monday showed that manufacturing sector is backbone of economy and constitutes second

largest sector of economy contributing 13.5 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and generating biggest number of industrial employment with technology transfer. It comprises mainly of LSM with 80 percent share in manufacturing and 10.7 percent in GDP whereas small scale manufacturing accounts for 1.8 percent in total GDP and 13.7 percent share in manufacturing. The third component of the sector is slaughtering and accounts for 0.9 percent in overall GDP and its share in manufacturing is 6.7 percent. The data further showed that production data of

LSM received from Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC) comprising 11 items, Ministry of Industries and Production 36 items and Provincial Bureau of Statistics 65 items have contributed in LSM period average growth by 0.03 percent, 3.97 percent and 1.07 percent respectively. The overall manufacturing sector continued to maintain its growth momentum with more vigor during current Piscal year. During 2017, it recorded an impressive growth of 5.3 percent against 3.7 percent of last year which helped overall industrial sector to improve by 5 percent against 5.8 percent last year.

crude petroleum exports up by 47.49% in March KARACHI

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he year-on-year exports of petroleum (crude) increased by 47.49 percent during the month of March 2017 as compared to the same month of last Pinancial year. The exports of crude petroleum were recorded at $18.216 million in March 2017 compared to the exports of $12.351 in March 2016,

according to the ofPicial data. In terms of quantity, the exports of crude petroleum increased by 2.81 percent by going up from trade of 43,976 metric tons in March 2016 to 18,216 metric tons in March 2017, the data revealed. However, the crude petroleum exports witnessed negative growth of 36.69 percent during the first three quarters of the current fiscal year compared to the same period of last year. The overall exports of

the product were recorded at $5.889 million in July-March

(2016-17) compared to the exports of $88.873 million in July-

March (2015-16), according to the data. In terms of quantity, the exports of crude petroleum witnessed decrease of 38.48 million during the nine months under review. The exports decreased from 9,203 metric tons last year to 5,889 metric tons during the first nine months of current year. It is pertinent to mention here that over all exports of petroleum and coal group increased by 7.97 percent during the current fiscal year.

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KARACHI

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ollector Port Qasim Saeed Akram and Additional Collector Khalil Tousafani are keeping strict vigilance on clearance of goods prone to mis-declaration and under-invoicing. Additional Collector Yasin Murtaza detected the fraud wherein the accused inPlicted a loss of Rs9 million to the national exchequer through presenting fake and forged documents. According to the details, the R&D team comprising PA Shahid Rizvi and AO Amir Shuja received information that M/s J.L Enterprises clearing agent got cleared eight Hino trucks in favor of various importers declaring the year of manufacture as 2012 by presenting the forged pre-shipment inspection reports and Vehicle Registration Document (VRD) issued by the Government of Hong Kong to substantiate the year of manufacture. As per the undertaking of the

importer that all the particulars declared are true, the vehicles were released. However, post clearance scrutiny was initiated to confirm the year of manufacture of the vehicles. Accordingly, Commercial AttachĂŠ, Consulate General of Pakistan, Hong Kong was requested for verification of the particulars of vehicles. Initially, a letter purportedly issued by Consulate General of Pakistan, Hong Kong was received in the Collec-

torate, which confirmed the particulars, the year of manufacture and registration certificate of the vehicle. However, the Consulate General intimated the Collectorate that the earlier letter conPirming the particulars was fake. Meanwhile, Pakistan Consulate General Hong Kong sent the copy of the report received from the Transport Department, Government of Hong Kong. The record conPirmed that the actual year of manufacture of the imported Hino trucks were 2004 and 2006 not 2012 as declared by the importer. This information established the fact that the importer and customs clearing agent deliberately mis-declared year of manufacture of the vehicles by presenting forged Hong Kong Vehicle Registration Document (VRD) and pre-shipment inspection certiPicate in ort der to get 12 year older veo g nt g age hicle cleared in violation n i r a s cle r of e o s of provisions of Import i v r a f p r cks in L ente Policy Order 2016. no tru M/s J. ear of

t hi the y d eigh laring c e d cleare g the s entin orter s p e r m p i y s ports 012 b variou ion re e as 2 t r c u e t p c ) s fa ent in t ( VrD manu umen shipm c o e r D p g d ation g kon forge egistr f hon r o e t l c n i e eh vernm and V he go t y b issued

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Wednesday, May 31, 2017

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Founder & Chairman Zulfiqar Ali Editor rahil Yasin editor@customsbulletin.com.pk For advertising & subscription marketing@customsbulletin.com.pk www.customsbulletin.com Phones: 042-35781643-4, Fax: 042-35781645 Address: 627, Siddiq Trade Centre, Gulberg, Lahore

eDitoriAL

potentials of agriculture sector

ccording to newspaper reports, Zarai Taraqiati Bank and National Bank of Pakistan will launch a loan programme for farmers with holdings of up to 12.5 acres at a reduced rate of 9.9 percent from July 1, 2017. In the federal budget, the government has enhanced the target of agriculture credit by 43 percent up to Rs 1 trillion for the fiscal year 2017-18 from Rs 700 billion last year. Despite being an agriculture economy, no government could ever tried to streamline this vital sector. Industrialists have always been critical of the government for giving to much concessions to agriculture sector, but agriculturists complain they are burdened with unjustified tax regimes and they are given loans on high markup rates. However, enhancement of credit by 43 percent announced in the budget 2017-18 is expected to give a further boost to the sector. The agriculture sector showed bleak performance during fiscal year 2015-16, especially in cotton production. However, it posted a growth of 3.46 percent during the ongoing fiscal year and is the highest in the last five years. This growth has helped the government drag the overall economic growth up to 5.3 percent. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has announced fix general sales tax on DAP which will considerably reduce the fertilizer price and a bag of urea will be available at Rs1400. According to the minister, the country is facing 10 percent reduction and losses in agriculture sector due to the use of old machinery. There is a need to use modern implements to get prolific yield but decades old combined harvesters are still being imported and used in the agriculture sector. Earlier, the prime minister had introduced a package of incentives which brought a massive growth in the sector though many of the targets were missed. According to experts, introduction of corporate farming is lesser evil given the current situation. For better yield, the government will have to ensure adequate water supply, credit facility at zero markup and availability of fertilizers to the farmers. The oďŹ&#x192;cial rigmarole prevents the farmers from benefiting the government schemes as it happened in Sindh where a credit allocation of Rs 36 billion remained unutilized during the outgoing fiscal year. As the government has slashed general sales tax on di-ammonium phosphate from Rs400 to Rs100 and has removed customs duty and GST on combined harvesters, it is hoped that the performance of the agriculture will improve this fiscal year.

federal budget for 2017-18 F

LAHORE

Dr AftAB AfZAL

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inance Minister Ishaq Dar has presented the federal budget for Piscal year 201718 with total outlay of Rs4.75 trillion which is 4.3 percent higher than the last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget.The availability of the Pinancial resources during the Piscal year has been estimated at Rs 4.6 trillion and the net revenue receipts have been estimated at Rs 2.9 trillion.The Federal Board of Revenue has been tasked to collect Rs4.01 trillion tax revenue for the year.At least at Rs 2.3 trillion are estimated to come from the provinces under the head of federal taxes and the net capital receipts are as-

sessed at Rs552.5 billion.There will be slight increase in the total expenditures for the year and a major chunk of the budget will go to the education, defence, science and technology as well as power and nuclear energy projects.The development expenditures for the year are set at Rs1.001 trillion, which are 40 percent higher than the last year when Rs715billion were earmarked under this head.The defence allocations have been set at Rs920.2 billion. A huge amount of Rs 180 billion has been earmarked for the China Pakistan Economic corridor out of which 160 billion will be spent on the construction of roads and bridges. The government has already spent Rs 231 billion on the game changer project during the last

three years. At least Rs1 trillion are earmarked for agricultural loans for the year. The Pinance minister claims the budget covers all the aspects of the economy which is rising at a rate of over Pive percent and has crossed $300 billion mark. According to the budget estimates, the government is expected to receive Rs 837.8 billion from external resources and total availability of the resources is estimated at Rs 4,681.2 billion. At least Rs 2.1 trillion have been earmarked for the Public Sector Development Programme, including federal and provincial allocations, showing an increase of 26 percent as compared to the budget estimates of the previous year and 37.3 percent to the revised estimates of the same period. At least

Rs 40 billion are earmarked for special federal development programmes, Rs 12.5 billion for energy, Rs12.5 billion for potable water supply, Rs 7.5 billion for earthquake victims, Rs 45 billion for IDPs and Rs 45 billion for security enhancement in the country. At least Rs 50 billion will be spent on various educational programmes during the year. The annual presentation of the federal budget has become a routine affair in the country, but it is hoped the current government will fulPill its promises and will implement the budget in letter and spirit. The nation also hopes that there will be no mini-budget during the year and efforts will be made not only to document the economy, but also to simplify the tax procedure.

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Australian miners hail Peru trade talks CANBERRA: The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has said that the country’s mining sector will benefit from the proposed new free trade agreement (FTA) with Peru. Brendan Pearson, Chief Executive of the MCA, said that Australia’s largest exports to Peru include metals products, minerals additives, and specialized mining equipment and machinery. Peru’s top imports to Australia also include minerals and mining equipment and inputs, he added. Pearson commented: “A high-quality free trade agreement has the potential to lift the economic relationship between our two countries to a new level by delivering further market access openings and improved two-way investment flows. Australian mining equipment, technology, and services firms, in particular, would benefit from a free trade agreement that significantly reduces barriers to trade in services.”

customs Syndicate organizes study tour to kashgarchina by road LAHORE

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ustoms Syndicate in collaboration with Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry have jointly organized a high profile trade delegation and study tour to Kashgar-China by road. The delegation will depart from Lahore to Kashgar on 15th July 2017. The purpose of the delegation is to study the facilities available and opportunities of connecting with markets in Western China. This tour will be covering the major cities like Gilgit, Sust (Pak border), Tashkurgan County – (China border) and Kashgar city. The delegates will get the opportunity to discuss the business and trade prospects, exchange information and relish the

melodious culture of Kashgar, Xinjiang autonomous region of China. Wang Zihai, President PCJCCI informed that the tour will assist business leaders from a diverse group of companies to select locations for investment and market development. The delegation is aimed to link business leaders, researchers and investors of both countries, he added. The tour will enable investors to identify potential organizations to partner and developing successful regional economic strategies and support regionally vital businesses, told Wang Zihai. Wang Zihai identified that the multi-billion dollar’s CPEC project starts from Kashgar and on other side ends at Gwadar thus cover whole Pakistan. He said that the Lahore being in the center of CPEC routes acts as a major node that is open to the opportunities to attract Chinese businessmen and investors.

Wednesday May 31, 2017

Chambers

government committed to stimulate export-oriented industry F

LAHORE

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ederal Commerce Secretary Muhammad Younus Dagha has said that the export sector is facing a challenging situation but the government is committed to stimulate industrial activities in the country. He was addressing a meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry. LCCI President Abdul Basit, Senior Vice President Amjad Ai Jawa and Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan spoke on the occasion while former Presidents Mian Muzaffar Ali, Engineer Sohail Lashari, former Vice President Aftab Ahmad Vohra, Awais Saeed Piracha, Syed Mukhtar Ali and Tariq Mahmood were also present on the occasion. The commerce secretary pledged to consult the private sector to make policies more effective, saying inconsistent policies never give desired results. He said that the government wants to give the same incentives to the export-oriented industry as are being given to its competitors in the regional countries. He said that foreign exchange re-

serves are at record level, markup and inPlation are at the lowest while there is zero load shedding for the industry. He said that Strategic Policy Framework 2015-18 is being improved as it has not given the expected results. He said that lack of research and development in agriculture sector is a major bottleneck to growth. Private sector should joint hands with the government in

this regard. He said that joint ventures and collaborations in food sector can help exploit its huge potential. He said that duties and taxes have been reduced on raw materials being used in export-oriented industries and more relief would be given in the coming federal budget. The LCCI President Abdul Basit called to manage factors that are hindering the economic growth of the

chamber of shipping calls for federal govt triage on coastal management VANCOUVER

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s a new report reveals the substantial value of shipping to Canadians across the country, the industry seeks assurance from the Government of Canada that coastal management will recognize the need to secure marine trade corridors through a focused spatial planning effort. Today, the Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping released a study, The Value of Commercial Marine Shipping to Canada, estimating the economic value of commercial shipping at $30 billion. At 1.8% of the Canadian economy, ships move more

than $200 billion worth of goods to and from global markets. From farmers to retailers, thousands of Canadian jobs depend on a healthy and thriving trade environment. These Pigures are signiPicant and rePlect a dependence on marine transportation to support trade activity as Canada pivots its focus to markets overseas and increasingly away from a historic over-reliance on our U.S. neighbour. While Canadian international trade continues to grow, the federal government is moving to aggressively meet its commitment to protect 10 per cent of Canada’s coastal waters by 2020, including a surprise announcement yesterday of establishing a large marine protected area to the approaches of binational waters and

major ports in Canada and the U.S. on the west coast. As important as this effort is, government actions to date lack integration of risk planning and mitigation, conservation and protection, and trade objectives. “Coastal management must also address areas of high activity where the need for sustainable growth should be proactively managed,” said Chamber of Shipping President Robert Lewis-Manning. “This should include the establishment and management of marine trade corridors with provisions that build conPidence for Indigenous and coastal communities. The current federal approach is overly focused on large area targets and does not appropriately address current and future trade needs.”

country. He said that Pakistan’s exports fallen to $ 21.9 in 2016 from $ 24.1 billion in 2015. He said that 5% declined has been registered in the exports of manufacturing sector including carpet, sports goods and surgical instruments. It is a matter of concern that exports with 89 countries have shown the trend of negative growth because these countries have started imports from other countries.

‘govt should focus on 4th part of cpec plan’ he government of Pakistan should negotiate with the Chinese government to evolve a policy to have joint ventures between Pakistan and China for long lasting win-win cooperation. “The Labour-intensive industry from China under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) shall be relocated in Pakistan to boost the local employment”. Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (RCCI) President Raja Amer Iqbal made these remarks while addressing as guest speaker of a two-day international conference on “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Corridor of Prosperity Through Education and Business” organised by the Peace and Conflict Study Department at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML). –CB Report

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Principal Appraiser Riaz-Ur-Rehman to retire on 30th Wednesday May 31, 2017

Islamabad Dr fazal Abrejo assumes charge as Member (fAte)

ISLAMABAD: Riaz-Ur-Rehman Sahto, a Pakistan Customs Service officer of BS17, is going to retire from the government service on attaining the age of superannuation. The officer, presently posted as Principal Appraiser at Model Customs Collectroate of Appraisement-West, Karachi, will stand retired from the government service on May 30.

Dy commissioner Jawhar granted performance allowance

ISLAMABAD

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ISLAMABAD

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r Fazal Muhammad Abrejo, a BS21 officer of Inland Revenue Service, has assumed the charge as Member (FATE). The officer, pursuing the Board’s Notification No. 1388-IR-I/2017, dated 04.05.2017, relinquished the charge of the post of Director General, Directorate General of Valuation-IR, Islamabad with effect from May 10, 2017 and took the charge of the post of Member (FATE) at Federal Board of Revenue (HQ), Islamabad on May 15. He assumed the charge of the post of Director General (BS-20) (OPS), Valuation-IR (stationed at Karachi) on October 21, 2016 after relinquishing the charge of the post of Chief Commissioner-IR (OPS), Regional Tax Office II, Karachi on October 17, 2016. Dr Fazal took the charge as Chief Commissioner-IR, Regional Tax Office, Sukkur on April 14, 2016 and relinquished the charge of the post of Commissioner-IR, Inland Revenue (Appeals-I), Karachi on the same date.

Syed ghulam Abbas given look-after charge of cc-ir yed Ghulam Abbas Kazmi, a BS20 officer of Inland Revenue Service, has been assigned the look-after charge of the post of Chief Commissioner-IR, Regional Tax Office, Islamabad. The officer, presently posted as Commissioner-IR (WHT), Regional Tax Office, Islamabad, has been assigned the look-after charge of the post of Chief Commissioner-IR, Regional Tax Office, Islamabad till the posting of a regular incumbent with immediate effect and until further orders. Meanwhile, Kazi Afzal, a BS-19 officer of Inland Revenue Service, has assumed the charge as CommissionerIR (OPS). The officer, in pursuance of Board’s Notification No. 1390-IRII/2017, dated 11.05.2017. –CB Report

awhar Ali Shah, a BS-18 ofPicer of Inland Revenue Service, selected through the process of internal job posting (IJP), has been granted performance allowance. The ofPicer, presently posted as Deputy Commissioner, IR, Regional Tax OfPice, Abbottabad, has been granted performance allowance with effect from May 19, 2017. The grant of performance allowance will be governed through the terms and conditions laid down vide Circular No. C.No. 6(96)S(BIC)/2013-14 dated 06.03.2015 and will be discontinued in case prescribed terms and conditions are not fulPilled within one month from the date of issuance of this notiPication.

Meanwhile, Muzaffar Ali Soomro, a BS-19 officer of Inland Revenue Service, has assumed the charge as Commissioner-IR (OPS) (WHT), Regional Tax Office, Sukkur.

The officer, in pursuance of Board’s Notification No. 1502-IR-I/2017, dated 17.05.2017, relinquished the charge of the post of Commissioner-IR (OPS) (IP/TFD/HRM),

Regional Tax Office III, Karachi with effect from May 22, 2017 and took the charge of the post of Commissioner-IR (OPS) (WHT), RTO, Sukkur on May 23.

ASo seizes goods, vehicles worth rs 2,172m A

PESHAWAR

tAriQ DerYA

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nti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) Peshawar impounded various kinds of smuggled goods, Non-Duty-Paid (NDP) and offending vehicles (vehicles used for carrying smuggled goods) worth Rs2172.448million from 1st July to 25th of May of Financial Year FY2016-17. According to ASO Peshawar, performance of the ASO squad has been good during the current Pinancial year. During above said period, the ASO Peshawar impounded 643 offending and NDP vehicles valued Rs920.98million. During July to 25th of April FY16-17, the ASO impounded 394 offending vehicles priced Rs554.45million. Offending vehicles are playing a main role in promoting smuggling activities in the region. ASO Peshawar always tried to discourage the non-tax-paid activities and encourage the bona Pide business in the region. Telling the details about the NDP

vehicles, ASO impounded 249 NDP vehicles valued Rs354.530million during above said period. The vehicles impounded by different customs stations are working under

the jurisdiction of MCC Peshawar. During the Pirst 10 months and 25 days (July to 25th May 2016-17), about 32.821 kilogram of gold/silver was seized by differ-

ent customs stations like Torkham and Bacha Khan International Airport Peshawar. The seized gold/silver’s estimated value is Rs125.4million.

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SRB warns importers 10-time penalty in failure to pay stamp duty KARACHI: Sindh Board of Revenue has warned importers of imposition of 10 times penalty if they fail to pay stamp duty on imported consignments. In a notiﬁcation, the board said that it had been observed that bill of entries/goods declarations got cleared without proper payment of stamp duty i.e. Rs1,000 on each. The board said that every instruments including bill of entries/goods declarations whether prepared/cleared manually or through electronics (WeBOC system) is liable for payment of stamp duty. In failure the amount payable will be recovered along with penalty which can be imposed up to 10 times of amount payable.

Shc grants urgent hearing against customs intelligence on June 02 KARACHI

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he Sindh High Court has granted urgent hearing against Pakistan Customs Intelligence and Investigations and fixed June 2 for a detailed hearing. An SHC appellate bench, comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Arshas Hussain Khan, issued directive on the application by Anam Traders, Hyderabad against Intelligence and Investigations, Pakistan Customs. The counsel for petitioner explaining urgency submitted that due to delay in release of undisputed goods the company is facing erosion of business activity and huge financial loss. The FBR chairman, Member Administration, Director General of Customs Intelligence and Investigations, Collector Customs, Model Customs Collectorate Port Muhammad Bin Qasim, Director Cus-

toms and Examining Officer, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim are cited as respondents in the petition. The petitioner maintains that it imported a consignment comprising PVC Speed Breaker, Horn Monster Brand, Circuit Breaker Brand Ovel, Mini Switch, Motorcycle Spoket chain and plastic flower (assorted). The petitioner completed all formalities and paid the custom duty, taxes etc amounting to rupees 21, 56, 877 on 318-2016. The consignment was out of charge and gate pass was also issued but I&I officials detained the consignment on ground that it contains some items which were not declared and thus section 79 and 80 of the Customs Act 1969 was violated. The petitioner went into appeal and as per judgment by the special custom appellate tribunal, custom officials were directed to remit the fine, penalty and to release the consignment but same was not implemented forcing the petitioner to file the instant petition.

Wednesday May 31, 2017

Karachi

revenue chaudhry Sugar Mills moves inland serves tax notice on karachi University Appellate tribunal against Adjudication order T KARACHI

MUBeeN hUSSAiN

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KARACHI

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sugar mills has moved Appellate Tribunal against the order of Customs Collector Adjudication in a sugar export scam. M/s Chaudhry Sugar Mills has appealed Appellate Tribunal challenging Adjudication’s order in which the sugar mills was charged for making fake export goods declaration (GDs) and making paper export of 5,420 metric tonne of sugar to Afghanistan, which was later recovered from a warehouse in Peshawar. FIR was lodged against M/s Chaudhry Sugar Mills for their involvement in the sugar export subsidy scam. They evaded duty/taxes and fraudulently availed huge amount of export subsidy in respect of fake exports of sugar to Afghanistan. The Custom Station Torkham Assistant Collector on receipt of information about export subsidy fraud case, constituted an audit team. The audit team retrieved data from PRAL pertaining to the export of Sugar for cross veriPication of the exports with manual record maintained by the Customs staff at Torkham.

The team upon scrutiny found that GDs were available in the manual record but found tampered with in the system. It was noted in the FIR that the exporters got the data tampered in PRAL system with the connivance of PRAL staff. The fraud aimed at availing huge amount of subsidy of inland freight of Rs2.0 per Kilogram and cash subsidy on export of Sugar at the rate of Rs8.0 per kilogram allowed on export of Sugar as per decision by Economic Coordination Committee of

the Cabinet (ECC), the FIR said. However, none from the M/s Chaudhry Sugar Mills joined the investigations. Subsequently, Customs Adjudication ordered conPiscation of sugar recovered from the warehouse and its sale proceed if already auctioned. Adjudication ordered recovery of 15 percent advance payment if not already forfeited received on account of their respective share in sugar not actually and factually exported to Afghanistan.

he Inland Revenue (IR) of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has served a notice on the accounts department of the University of Karachi after a host of faculty members did not file their tax returns in 2016. The commissioner Inland Revenue (IR) Zone-V (WHZ), RTO-III, Karachi, has served the notice on Chief Accountant Qamar Iqbal Khan of the university. According to the notice, despite drawing salaries of more than Rs 1 million annually, several professors as well as teachers did not file their tax returns for the year 2016. The notice seeks the faculty members to file their tax return until May 29 otherwise they will not be able to avail the benefits of the filers. The sources in the Inland Revenue (IR) informed Customs Today that, it has also been noted that professors and teachers of University of Karachi have been withdrawing their salaries by open cheques, including the former registrar of the Karachi University. It is pertinent to mention here that Inland Revenue (IR) notice to the Chief Accountant Qamar Iqbal Khan of the University of Karachi has been served with reference under section 218(1)(b) of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001.

Dg Valuation issues revises values of printed circuit boards

KARACHI

wAQAr AhMeD ANSAri www.customsbulletin.com

he Directorate General of Customs Valuation has revised the customs values of printed circuit boards through Valuation Ruling No 1168/2017 under Section 25A of the Customs Act 1969. According to the details, the customs values of printed circuit boards were determined under Section 25A of the Customs Act, 1969, vide Valuation Ruling No.555/2013, dated 04-06-2013. The valuation ruling required revision in line with the prevailing prices in the international market. Therefore,

this Directorate General initiated an exercise for determination of customs values of printed circuit boards. Stakeholders’ participation in determination of Customs values: Meetings with stakeholders were held on 16-02-2017 and 18-05-2017. Importers had been requested to furnish invoices of imports during last three months showing factual value. Websites, names and E-mail addresses of known foreign manufacturers of the item in question through which the actual current value can be ascertained. Copies of contracts made / LCs opened during the last three months showing the value of item in question. Copies of sales tax invoices issued during last four months

showing the difference in price (excluding duty and taxes) to substantiate that the benePit of difference in price is passed on to the local buyers. During the course of the meetings, the stakeholders pointed out that values of printed circuit board required revision in accordance with current price trends. They stated that printed circuit board single / double sided (bare board) and single / double sided printed circuit board assembly (stuffed) are of different in prices, thus needed to be differentiated accordingly. Resaltantly, this Directorate General conducted a comprehensive exercise to determine customs values of printed circuit boards of both types viz

bare board (single/double side) and stuffed (single/double side). Valuation methods given in Section 25-A of the Customs Act, 1969 were followed to arrive at customs values of Printed Circuit Board. Transaction value method provided in Section 25 (1) was found inapplicable owing to wide variation in the values being declared to the customs. Identical / similar goods value methods provided in Section 25 (5) & (6) were examined for applicability to the valuation issue in the instant case which provided some reference values of the subject goods but the same could not be exclusively relied upon due to wide variation in declared values of subject goods.

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Brazilian exports suﬀer in wake of meat scandal Wednesday May 31, 2017

World

BRASILIA: The volume of meat exports from Brazil has fallen in the wake of the meat scandal that hit the country in March. Exports from Brazil fell by 3% in March and by 16% in April, following positive movements in export volumes during the ﬁrst two months of the year. The Brazilian meat scandal erupted in March when an investigation uncovered tainted meat, bribery and other malpractice in the multi-billion dollar meat industry. Some of the biggest meat exporting companies in the world were accused of various unhygienic practices, including use of illegal acid and carcinogenic chemicals to treat products.

turkey arrests teachers on hunger strike over coup purges

US woman charged with smuggling tech to china LOS ANGELES

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ANKARA

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urkish police arrested two teachers who have been on hunger strike for more than two months protesting against a government crackdown in which they lost their jobs following last year’s failed coup, CNN Turk and a lawyer reported on Monday. The channel said two lawyers who attempted to obstruct the police were also arrested and police searched properties in the overnight raids. There was no immediate comment from police. Literature professor Nuriye Gulmen and primary school teacher Semih Ozakca have been on hunger strike for more than 10 weeks after losing their jobs following the failed July coup against the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They have held demonstrations in central Ankara to highlight their

customs slammed for poor record-keeping oubts have been raised as to whether Australia’s customs officials have been lawfully accessing people’s text messages and other kinds of data. The Commonwealth Ombudsman was scathing of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection in a review tabled in parliament on Tuesday. The report follows inspections of 20 agencies and their use of powers to access metadata and stored communications to ensure they are compliant. It finds Customs does not have sufficient processes in place to prove that it’s only dealing with lawfully accessed stored communications such as SMS. There are also insufficient procedures in place to ensure that information is properly received and destroyed. “We have no confidence in Customs’ record-keeping practices, and therefore in its ability to account for its use of these powers,” the report says. –CB Report

plight, and that of around 150,000 state employees who were suspended or sacked after the failed putsch, which Erdogan blames on followers of a US-based cleric. Gulmen wrote on her Twitter account overnight: “Political department police are trying to enter the house. They are now breaking the door. “Damn fascism!

Long live our hunger strike resistance! We want our jobs back! We have not and will not surrender!” she wrote. Necati Yilmaz, a lawmaker from the main opposition CHP party, wrote on Twitter that the reason for their detention was “the possibility that their protests could turn into death fasts and new Gezi protests”.

pBc signs currency swap agreement with New Zealand

he People’s Bank of China (PBC), China’s central bank, signed a bilateral currency swap agreement on Friday with the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the country’s central bank. The scale of the currency swap was kept at 25 billion yuan ($3.63), and the agreement will last for three years, according to a post on the PBC’s ofPicial website. Currency swap is an arrangement in which two parties exchange speciPic

amounts of different currencies at Pirst, and a series of interest payments on the initial cash Plows are exchanged. The agreement was targeted at facilitating bilateral trade and investment between the two countries, the PBC statement noted. Data from the General Administration of Customs showed that China’s trade with New Zealand has generated $4.6 billion from January to April, up 18.4 percent year-on-year. –CB Report

California woman was arrested Tuesday on charges of conspiring to smuggle sensitive space communications technology to her native China, federal authorities said. Si Chen, 32, also known as Cathy Chen, between March 2013 and December 2015 allegedly purchased and smuggled more than $100,000 (Dh367,000) worth of sensitive communications devices without obtaining proper export licenses required by federal law. The items included components commonly used in military communications “jammers” from which Chen removed the exportcontrol warning stickers prior to shipping, according to the charge sheet. “Federal export laws are designed to protect American in-

terests by preventing the proliferation of technology that may fall into the wrong hands,” Acting US Attorney Sandra Brown said in a statement. “ We will vigorously pursue those who traffic items that could harm our national security if they land in the wrong hands.” Authorities said Chen used several aliases and a forged passport to evade detection and ran her operation with unnamed co-conspirators in China. The indictment alleges that after she purchased the restricted goods and technology, she would ship them to Hong Kong under a false name while falsifying the description of the products and their value. The products included microwave components that had applications in space technology and a so-called Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier used in space communications. If convicted of the 14 charges in the indictment, Chen faces up to 150 years in prison.

Denmark to levy tax on pV power enmark’s Ministry of Energy, Climate and Buildings has submitted to public consultation a bill to introduce a tax on the power produced for self-consumption by PV installations under net metering. The Minister of Energy Lars Chr. Lillehol said that the faster than expected development of solar energy throughout Denmark would lead to an expense of DKK 4.9 billion ($734.8 million) in the state budget. Through the announced tax, the government hopes to reduce the above-mentioned expense to DKK 3.7 billion ($558 million). Planned solar energy develop-

ment by 2020, the ministry stated, is 918 MW, while local energy operator Energinet.dk and the Danish Energy Agency (Energistyrelsen) are currently predicting that solar installations will reach up to 1,350 MW by then. Af of 2017, the country’s cumulative installed PV capacity reached 854.8 MW, according to the latest statistics from Energinet.dk. The new tax, if introduced, will be applied to all self-consumed power, which is currently exempt from VAT, the Public Service Obligations (PSO) levy that Pinances the country’s renewable energy incentives program, and other grid fees. –CB Report

Uk consumer inflation rises to 3 ½-years high of 2.7%

LONDON

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he WPI-based inPlation, based on the new series, slipped to a four-month low of 3.85 per cent in April as both food articles and manufactured items eased. The Pindings echo ofPicial Pigures from the OfPice for National Statistics today that

showed average earnings increased by 2.4 per cent in the year to March, below inPlation which is running at 2.7 per cent. Despite the rise in inPlation, however, the economy is far from overheating, and all but one of the BoE’s eight policymakers voted last week to keep interest rates on hold. But adjusted for inPlation, regular wages in the Pirst quarter fell by 0.2%, the Pirst decline in real wages

since 2014. “Our central expectation is that we do expect wages to pick up and real income growth to turn positive over the course of the next few years and that is during the period of leaving the European Union”, said Bank of England Governor Mark Carney. In the short term, the sluggish wage growth add to fears that weaker consumer spending will see economic growth slow in coming

months, given that inPlation picked up to 2.7% in April and so is likely to be exerting a major squeeze on real wages. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by an annualised 4.4 per cent in April compared to 5.1 per cent in March. Last week, Bank of England (BoE) Governor Mark Carney warned 2017 will be challenging for consumers, with inPlation now nearly certain to overtake wage growth.

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Denmark shares higher at close of trade

World Customs

COPENHAGEN: Denmark equities were higher at the close on Monday, as gains in the Chemicals, Financials and Consumer Services sectors propelled shares higher. At the close in Copenhagen, the OMX Copenhagen 20 rose 1.23% to hit a new 6month high. The biggest gainers of the session on the OMX Copenhagen 20 were Danske Bank A/S (CO:DANSKE), which rose 2.98% or 7.0 points to trade at 241.8 at the close. TDC A/S (CO:TDC) added 2.55% or 0.91 points to end at 36.54 and GN Store Nord (CO:GN) was up 2.34% or 3.9 points to 170.3 in late trade. Biggest losers included Novo Nordisk A/S B (CO:NOVOb), which added 0.12% or 0.3 points to trade at 250.0 in late trade.

Sri Lanka’s national inflation at 8.4 percent ri Lanka’s country-wide inflation decelerated to 8.4 percent in April 2017 from an over two-year high of 8.6 percent in March 2017 on a yearon-year basis, the Central Bank said in a statement. Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has failed to keep inflation in check despite having a relatively easy informal target of 5.0 percent. The Central Bank prints money undermining the currency, sterilizes forex interventions generating balance of payments trouble and liberally provides cash from liquidity windows to enforce its loose policy in times of strong credit growth. Both Food and Non-food categories contributed towards year-on-year inflation in April 2017, as measured by the change in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) compiled by the Department of Census and Statistics. The change in the NCPI, measured on an annual average basis, increased to 6.0 percent in April 2017 from 5.6 percent in March 2017, the statement said. The NCPI increased from 119.5 index points in March 2017 to 121.0 index points in April 2017. –CB Report

Vinamilk imports 2,000 cows from the US he Việt Nam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk) has imported more than 2,000 Holstein Friesian cows from the US. The cows, believed to be the world’s high-yield diary animals that can produce 14,000 litres of milk in 305 days, were carefully selected and underwent strict quarantine and health checks before arriving in Việt Nam. They were sent to Vinamilk’s Tây Ninh cow farm, bringing the total number of cows at the farm to nearly 5,000. Following the import, Tây Ninh cow farm has become Vinamilk’s largest cow farm, covering 700ha and using high technology to raise cows. Vinamilk plans to increase the herd of cows at the Tây Ninh farm to 8,000. –CB Report

ex customs protection oﬃcer sentenced for smuggling

Wednesday May 31, 2017

indonesia arrests Japanese man in reptile smuggling ndonesian authorities have arrested a Japanese man who conservationists say is a major player in the illegal wildlife trade for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 250 reptiles out of the country. The head of law enforcement at Jakarta’s international airport, Ridwan Alaydrus, said Thursday that Katsuhide Naito was arrested after customs oﬃcers found 181 lizards, 65 snakes and seven turtles in his luggage. He said the wildlife seized Tuesday included 12 diﬀerent species, three of which are endangered. Naito allegedly bought the haul from poachers in northern Sumatra and the Indonesian part of Borneo, Alaydrus said. It included green tree snakes, Borneo lizards and pig-nosed turtles, which are protected under Indonesian law. Naito was arrested before boarding a flight to Japan. His travel documents indicated he is a frequent visitor to Indonesia, holding Platinum Elite Plus status with the country’s national airline, Garuda. Alaydrus said the man could be charged under Indonesia’s animal quarantine law, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Indonesia program said it hopes Naito will also be charged under conservation laws with a maximum prison term of five years. –CB Report

SANDIEGO

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ormer U.S. Customs and Border Protection OfPicer Jose Luis Cota was sentenced in federal court to Pive years in prison for bribery and alien smuggling charges. Cota accepted cash and sexual favors from smugglers in exchange for allowing them to bring undocumented immigrants into the United States without inspection through his lane at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Miriam Juarez-Herrera

and Gilberto Aguilar-Martinez, married Mexican nationals, were working with Cota in the bribery and smuggling scheme. The group charged as much as $15,000 per person they smuggled. Cota, a 15 year veteran with the agency, was arrested in September 2016. According to court documents, he confessed to his crimes when he was taken into custody. In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller spoke regarding Cota’s conduct, “It feeds the popular narrative that there is corruption in government at some levels. There is a spot of rot in government. When this happens, it affects us all.” Cota will have to report to federal prison by June 14, 2017. Meanwhile, US Cus-

toms and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport discovered 63 bird’s nest pieces, Thursday. These items, considered a delicacy in some countries, are prohibited from entering the United States as they can carry Newcastle Disease or the Highly Pathogenic Avian InPluenza (H5N1) virus. The passenger, who was arriving from Vietnam, declared other agricultural items but when asked speciPically about bird’s nest, she refused to declare the goods. During the passenger’s baggage examination, CBP agriculture specialists discovered the prohibited items concealed among the traveler’s belongings.

Norway April production down from March by 2 pc

P OLSO

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reliminary figures for Norway show total production of oil and natural gas was down about 2 percent compared with March levels, but up yearon-year. The National Petroleum Directorate said preliminary data for April show a daily production of 1.7 million barrels of oil, 377,000 barrels of natural gas liquids and

31,000 barrels of an ultra-light form of oil called condensate. The preliminary data for April is 2 percent below March figures and, for oil, was lower by about 30,000 barrels per day. Apart from Russia, Norway is one of the largest oil and gas producers in the region and the country sends nearly everything it produces offshore to the export market. The report on monthly declines comes about a week after the NPD reported efforts by

Spanish energy company Repsol to find new reserves near the Aasta Hansteen field in the Norwegian Sea came up empty. Aasta Hansteen was characterized by Statoil, the controlling company, as one of the main projects in its portfolio, though progress has been slow. The NPD offered no indication for lower field production from April other than to say most of the declines came from the North Sea. Based on its preliminary ex-

pectations, however, production so far this year was at least 2 percent higher than expected. “The oil production is about 4.2 percent above the oil production in April last year and is about 4.2 percent above the NPD’s prognosis for April 2017,” the agency stated. Statistics Norway, the government’s record-keeping division, said the value of crude oil exports in April was $2.2 billion, an increase of 30 percent year-over-year.

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Court extends judicial remand of suspect involved in mega tax scam of Rs 4b Wednesday May 31, 2017

Lahore

LAHORE: Special Federal Court of Customs Taxation and Anti-Smuggling has extended the judicial remand of a suspect, Mian Talat Mehmood, involved in a mega tax scam of Rs 4 billion in Lahore. The managing director of Pakistan’s leading electronic manufacturing company was arrested by the Inland Revenue Department Lahore. Earlier, the investigation team of the FBR had obtained physical remand of the suspect from the court. He was sent to jail after completion of physical remand for 14 days. Now he was produced before the court again and was sent him to jail for further 14 days on judicial remand. The Inland Revenue Lahore had registered the case against the accused on alleged tax evasion and fraud

customs tribunal adjourns miscellaneous appeals of diﬀerent parties LAHORE

SAJiD NAwAZ

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ustoms Appellate Tribunal adjourned the hearings in the cases Piled by the multiple appellants against various parties till the next date of hearing. Customs Appellate Tribunal’s Division Bench-II (single and double), comprising Judicial Member Omer Arshad Hakeem and Member Technical Imran Tariq, heard 15 cases and adjourned all of them until the next hearing. A single bench of the Customs Appellate Tribunal, comprising Omer Arshed Hakeem, heard three cases including Directorate Post Clearance Audit (PCA) Lahore versus Elahi Corporation, Muhammad

collector Appeals entertains eight appeals ollector of Customs Appeals Dr Asif Mehmood Jah has entertained eight important appeals about confiscated goods and vehicles. Sources told Customs Today that the collector heard appeals filed by Imran Sakhawat whose goods and articles includes mobile phones were seized by Anti Smuggling Organization Sambrial while Zamiruddin and other files their appeals for the release of LED TVs. Muhammad Munawar filed appeal for the release of Toyota Land Cruiser which was also heard. Similarly the collector also heard appeals filed by M/s Sea Breeze Enterprises for the release of electronic goods. The collector also entertained appeal filed by M/s Haider for the release of Samsung brand of LEDs. The collector entertained appeals filed by M/s Sigma International, Abid Sultan Athwal, Rana Muhammad Khalid Farooq and other for the release of their goods. –CB Report

Asgher versus Customs Lahore and Sajid Ali versus Customs Lahore. On Wednesday, the tribunal division bench-II heard 12 cases of Amir Shahzad versus Customs Faisalabad, Customs Lahore versus Punjab Impex, Abid Butt versus Customs Lahore, Raaz Muhammad versus Directorate Multan Unit D.G Khan and Furqan Zubair versus Customs Sambrial. Moreover, tribunal heard Ansar Abbas versus Customs Sambrial, Rana Shaukat versus Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation Lahore, Rehmat Ullah versus Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation Lahore, Customs Faisalabad versus Muhammad Amin, Manzoor Hussain versus Customs Faisalabad, Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation Faisalabad versus Beco Steel 02 appeals and Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation Faisalabad versus Hajvery Steel 02 appeals.

customs ASo intensifies drive against owners of NDp cars

LAHORE

M hAYAt

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ollectorate of Customs Preventive Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) im-

Suspected cigarette smuggler sent to jail on 14-day judicial remand

pecial court of customs taxation and anti-smuggling has approved a 14-days judicial remand of an accused in a case of cigarette smuggling. Customs investigation team presented an accused Rameez Iftikhar before the court of customs taxation and anti-smuggling judge. Investigation team asked the court that they have completed the investigation from the accused in a Pive-day physical remand. On the request of customs team,

Shakeel Ahmad, judge of the customs court, remanded him to jail on judicial trial. Accused Rameez Iftikhar was arrested on the charge of smuggling of cigarettes to America. He was making an attempt to smuggle cigarettes to USA while declaring them as cloths. The worth of the goods is more than Rs1.3million. On the other hand, about 17 other cases were also scheduled for hearing on Wednesday. Most of the cases were adjourned without any proceedings. –CB Report

pounded three illegally imported cars during a crackdown here. As per details Customs Preventive ASO on instructions of Collector Ch Zulfiqar Ali has intensified crackdowns against the owners of non-duty paid vehicles in the city. In connection with the new

strategy the ASO Lahore seized three non-duty paid vehicles including BMWs and Honda Civic. The ASO team seized the vehicles from various places in the city including Canal Road, Mall Road and other places. The officials sources said that the cars were seized by the authorities following the owners were failed to produce any legal documents regarding possession of these vehicles. It was added that the vehicles were being run on fake registration and documentations. The non-duty paid vehicles were brought in the city by a few carriers who used to provide cars at the doorstep anyone who place order and receive the prices, another sources said. Customs Anti-Smuggling team that confiscated the non-customs paid vehicles included Superintendent, Nasir Minhas, Sajjad Bukhari.

court disposes of post-arrest-bail pleas pecial federal court of customs taxation and anti-smuggling has disposed of the post-arrest-bail pleas of two accused in Rs8.3million cloth smuggling case. Two accused Rehmat Ali and Nasir Khan were held by the customs intelligence. Customs intelligence had also recovered a big quantity of imported cloths and related goods from their possession. Customs intelligence counsel, during a hearing of the case on Tuesday, told the court that accused were involved in smuggling

of cloths into Lahore and Faisalabad from Afghanistan via different routes. They had caused a big loss to the national kitty following taxes and duties. Earlier in the last week customs investigation team presented them before the customs court and asked for their physical remand to dig out the network behind this smuggling mafia. On the request, special federal court of customs taxation and anti-smuggling Shakeel Ahmad had approved their physical remand after which they were remanded to jail. –CB Report

fBr announces auction of Vance trading corp. property

LAHORE

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ederal Board of Revenue (FBR), Regional Tax OfPice-II (RTO-II), has announced the auction of Five-Kanal and 12-Marla property owned by the Vance Trading International Corporation on Rs55million tax evasion.

Chaudhary Karamat Ullah Khan, Commissioner Inland Revenue (CIR), Zone-V, declared that under Section 161 and 162 of the Income Tax Recovery Rules 2002, FBR is going to auction off the property of Sadam Hussain Akber due to tax evasion. FBR mentioned that Regional Tax OfPice sent several notices to the Vance Trading International Corporation for the payment of income tax, but

the respondents failed to pay their liabilities. So income tax authorities decided to auction the properties for the recovery of Rs55million income tax. Customs Today learnt that unitVIII of Zone-V placed at Bilour Palace Luxi Chowk will deal with all the matters and collect application from the bidders and make all the arrangements. FBR will deliver properties to the successful bidders who will give

high value. RTO-II called application from the interested bidders and conveyed all important instructions and information to the general public. The property number 19-Lawrance Road, Mouza Mazang, Khavit Number 178, Khatooni Number 1311, Khasra Number 286, 287, 288, 289 and 290 will be auctioned on June 6 in the ofPice of Assistant Commissioner Unit-VIII, Zone-V.

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FG loses n10.8b to strike actions at Lagos ports WASHINGTON: The federal government, importers and exporters have lost a whooping N10.8billion to strike actions embarked upon by clearing agents, truck owners and drivers over failed roads leading to the Lagos seaports – Tin-Can and Apapa. The strike action which started on Monday entered its second day yesterday (Tuesday) and was yet to be called oﬀ by the aggrieved clearing agents and truck owners as at the time of this report. According to LEADERSHIP investigations, the nation’s economy would lose a daily N5.4billion until the strike was called oﬀ. According to the breakdown, it was gathered that Importers lost N668million daily to demurrage that would be paid to terminal operators and shipping companies.

oil company plans to ship ethanol from port of Milwaukee ppleton-based U.S. Venture Inc. has received approval from a Milwaukee Common Council committee to ship ethanol from the Port of Milwaukee despite the plan raising environmental concerns. U.S. Oil, a division of parent company U.S. Venture Inc., plans to build a 1,000-foot-long, $3.5 million access line from U.S. Oil’s tank yard at the port to a cargo pier in Lake Michigan. The pipeline allows ethanol to be shipped across the Great Lakes. The Milwaukee County Common Council Public Works Committee approved amending U.S. Oil’s lease Wednesday to expand its property to build the access line. Milwaukee Alderman Nik Kovac said he has concerns about the plan. “The immediate concerns of spills or fire,” he said. “And then the second concern, which would apply

more to the potential for crude oil than ethanol, is are we building infrastructure that will encourage unsustainable use of the world’s resources and global warming?” Kovac said the shipping of ethanol could also lead to an increase in heavy truck traﬃc. In the past, petroleum products have been shipped in and out of the Milwaukee port, but not recently, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. U.S. Oil Vice President Mike Koel said they have a track record of responsible shipping. “We have done this exact same activity in Green Bay for the last six years,” Koel said. “We have exported ethanol to Montreal and Quebec with no incidents.” Koel said they have no plans to ship crude oil. The company already has approval from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to house ethanol at the Port of Milwaukee. –CB Report

Ports & Shipping

US ports needs US$66 billion in infrastructure WASHINGTON

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xperts from U.S. transport associations estimate that port infrastructure in the country needs a further US$66 billion in federal government investment. The estimate was a result of a panel discussion held by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation OfPicials, or AASHTO, the American Association of Port Authorities, or AAPA, and Congressional PORTS Caucus CoChairs Ted Poe and Alan Lowenthal. “To build America’s 21st century seaport infrastructure and ensure these economic impacts continue, our ports need a combined US$66 billion of federal investments over the next 10 years into the roads, rails and waterways that connect to them,” said Kurt Nagle, president and CEO of AAPA. The panel highlighted US$4.6 trillion in annual economic activity generated by U.S. ports and 23 million jobs created in

the sector. The panel also highlighted the importance of successfully implementing freight-related provisions under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or FAST. Meanwhile, The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) will be spending almost a billion pesos to develop and dredge 10 ports in different areas of the country. In separate bid bulletins, PPA said it intends to spend P948.865 million under its 2017 corporate budget to fulPill development and dredging contracts for the ports of Zamboanga, Davao, Coron

and Puerto Princesa in Palawan; Salomague in Ilocos Sur; Calapan and Roxas in Oriental Mindoro; Guiuan in Eastern Samar; Lamao in Bataan and Tubigon in Bohol. Of the total, P229.773 million is allotted for the expansion of Zamboanga port, which includes construction of a reinforced concrete (RC) platform, a backup area, and a port lighting system. About P185.447 million will be spent on the construction and offshore installation of marine navigation aids at the Davao entrance channel of the Davao Port.

Wednesday May 31, 2017

Vizag port to be modernised by 2019 f everything goes as planned by the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) authorities, modernisation of port will be complete by 2019. Addressing the media in the city, VPT chairman MT Krishna Babu said, “The modernisation of VPT includes increasing container trade, doubling capacities of inner harbour, modernise berthing structures, setting up multi-modal parks, free trade zones, provision of clean cargo and improvement of rail and road connectivity inside the port.”“Once the modernisation project is complete, the port’s handling capacity can be augmented to 135MT (million tonne) from the existing 98MT. The project is estimated to cost Rs 5,000 crore, but only 50% of the works are completed so far,” he added. The port took up the project in order to face a challenging competition from the nearby private ports including Gangavaram and Kakinada ports on freight volumes and cargo handling. The management felt that proposed investment for modernisation to help capacity augmentation to 135MT, adding more berths, improvement in evacuation. –CB Report

osinbajo orders 24-hour operations at Apapa port A

WASHINGTON

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cting President Yemi Osinbajo, has directed the resumption of 24-hour operations at the Apapa port and outrightly banned touting by ofPicials or unofPicial persons at any port; be it air, land and sea ports in Nigeria. Mr. Osinbajo had signed three Executive Orders dealing with the business environment, local content in public procurement and timely budget submission. The Orders take effect immediately. The acting president said in the Order that, “the Apapa Port shall resume 24-hour operations within 30 days of the issuance of this Order and there shall be no touting whatsoever by ofPicial or unofPicial persons at any port in Nigeria.’’ According to the directive on port operations, “on duty staff shall be properly identiPied by uniform and ofPicial cards while off duty staff shall stay away

from the ports except with the express approval of the agency head. The FAAN Aviation Security (AVSEC) and Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) Security shall enforce this order.’’ To address the menace of touting at the ports, the Order expressly stipulates that “all non-ofPicial staff shall be removed from the secured areas of airports. No ofPicial of FAAN, Immigration, security agency or Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) or any other agency is to meet any non-designated dignitary at any secure areas of the airport.” The acting president also directed that the ofPicial approved list of dignitaries that have been pre-approved to be received by protocol ofPicers shall be made available to AVSEC and other relevant agencies ahead of their arrival at the airport. According to the Order, “any ofPicial caught soliciting or receiving bribes from passengers or other port users shall be subject to immediate removal from post

and disciplinary as well as criminal proceedings in line with extant laws and regulations.’’ “All relevant MDAs at the airports shall within 30 days of the issuance of this Order merge their respective departure and arrival interfaces into a single customer interface, without prejudice to necessary backend procedures,’’ the acting president directed. On the harmonisation of activities of agencies operating at the ports, Mr. Osinbajo ordered that “all agencies currently physically present in Nigerian Ports shall within 60 days harmonise their operations into one single interface station domiciled in one location in the port and implemented by a single joint task force at all times, without prejudice to necessary backend procedures.’’ The new single interface station at each port, the order stipulates, “shall capture, track and record information on all goods arriving and departing from Nigeria and remit captured informa-

tion to the head of the MDA and the head of the National Bureau of Statistics on a weekly basis.’’ In addition, the acting president, through the Executive Order, has directed each Port in Nigeria “to assign an existing export terminal to be dedicated to the exportation of agriculture produce within 30 days of the issuance Order.” Meanwhile, Annual resin exports from the Gulf are forecast to rise by some 500,000 TEU during the next few years. Houston, which now handles about 45 percent of US seaborne resin exports, hopes to expand its volume and market share but faces stiff competition. Resin packagers have been working with Union PaciPic and BNSF railroads to develop intermodal routes using bulk-to-container packaging and transfer facilities in DallasFort Worth. Charleston and other South Atlantic ports also are competing for intermodal resin exports, as is New Orleans on the Gulf.

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Mianwali ASO impounds non duty paid Mitsubishi MIANWALI: The ASO Mianwali has impounded a non duty paid Mitsubishi Pajero jeep. The market value of the seized vehicle is Rs12,72,000 involving customs duty and taxes to the tune of Rs8,72,000. Sources told Customs Toady, that ASO team comprising Superintendents Chaudhary Muhammad Sardar, Azhar Hussain Jafri, Amir Mumtaz Bajwa, Inspector Muhammad Yousaf, Saifullah, Ghulam Mohyuddin, Faiz Muhammad, Muhammad abdullah (sepoys), during their routine checking found a Mitsubishi Pajero jeep bearing registration no: JU-094 (Islamabad) near Toll Plaza.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

CUSTOMS BULLETIN

Dg Valuation revises customs values of baby diapers, sanitary towels KARACHI wAQAr AhMeD ANSAri www.customsbulletin.com

he Directorate General of Customs Valuation has revised the customs values of baby diapers and sanitary towels/ napkins and tampons vide Valuation Ruling No 1169/2017 under Section 25-A of the Customs Act, 1969. The Customs values of baby diapers and sanitary towels/napkins were earlier determined vide Valuation Ruling No.870/2016, dated 14-06-2015. The customs values were determined by the Director General of Customs Valuation vide Order-inRevision No. 224/2016, dated 04-08-2016. Many importers had Piled appeals under Section 194-A of the Customs Act, 1969, against the Order-in-Revision, before the honorable Customs Appellate Tribunal, Karachi. The tribunal set aside the Order-in-Revision vide order dated 18-11-2016, with further Rectification Order dated 10-12-2016. Meanwhile, the some importers approached this Directorate General to allow under Section 81 of the Customs Act, 1969, in the light of Honorable High Court of Sind,

Karachi’s judgment in C.P.No.6918/2015, dated 14-112015, read with Honorable

Supreme Court of Pakistan’s order, dated 04-08-2016. As the previous Valuation Ruling needed revision

in the light of above situation, an exercise was initiated to determine the customs value of Baby Diapers

and Sanitary Napkins, with a view to reflect the current prices prevailing in the international market.

court seeks report from io against owners of oﬀshore cos KARACHI

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ustom Court Judge Syed Faiz Rasool Rashdi sought a progress report from investigation ofPicer and adjourned the case for May, 2017 against absconding accused named Bashir Dawood and Mariyam Dawood booked in a case of concealment of income, furnishing inaccurate particulars of income/wealth and

money laundering over offshore company. On the last date of hearing, Investigation OfPicer Muhammad Arif had appeared before the court and submitted that both above named accused have not been arrested yet. He further submitted that proceedings for proclamation have been completed against them. After the hearing, court had declared the Proclaimed Offenders as accused. It needs to be pertained here that the court had issued several times their bailable and non-bailable warrants. On the last date of hearing, court had directed the

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for issuing read warrants for the accused. Earlier, investigation ofPicer had Piled an application before the court for attachment of property and bank accounts under section 8 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act-2010 to protect the public exchequer and also had informed the court that above named accused are absconders therefore court had allowed the IO for attachment of their bank accounts as case property for 30 days. According to the prosecution, case no 01/2016 was registered against them alleging that the ac-

cused, having offshore company, is involved in concealing the income of Rs9870million and amount of income tax sought to be evaded of Rs2469million and amount of income tax recoverable (up to tax year 2014) Rs. 2467million along with default surcharge & penalty to be determined at the time of payment. A case was registered in violation of under Section 111 (1) (d) (1) of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 which is liable to be prosecuted under Section 192 a ibid read with section 2 and 8 (2) of the AMP Act-2010. Meanwhile, Customs Court

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Judge Syed Faiz Rasool Rashdi issued a non-bailable warrant for accused Muhammad Muamar Junaid booked in a mis-declaration and evaded the duty and taxes of Rs2.7million. During the hearing, accused Khurram Inayat S/o Inayat Ali was present on the interim bail, however accused Muhammad Muamar Junaid was absent without any intimation notice therefore the court issued his non-bailable warrant. The court also issued a notice to his surety and directed the investigation ofPicer to submit a compliance report along with a Pinal charge-sheet.