Chief Collector Zeba Hai Azhar attributes record high growth to teamwork of all four collectors
LAHORE: The Customs Central Region has successfully posted a positive growth of 41 percent in collection of customs duty by collecting Rs 29,058 million during the first half of the financial year 2017-18 against collection of Rs 20,536 million during the same period of the last financial year.
Overall, the region registered a growth of 36 percent in collection of all duty and taxes by collecting Rs 90,509 million during the period under review against collection of Rs 66,330 million during the same period of the last financial year 2016-17.
Talking to Customs Today, Customs Central Region Chief Collector Zeba Hai Azhar attributed the high growth to the teamwork of all the four collectorates of the Customs Central Region. She said that all the Collectorates, under the Central Region, were facilitating trade and industry besides taking intense measures to curb smuggling.
Faisalabad Collectorate has performed tremendously under the leadership of Collector of Customs Muhammad Sadiq as exports have increased to a significant level while more than hundred containers of export goods and articles are being cleared from the Faisalabad Collectorate.
Earlier, a number of issues were problematic there, however since the collector assumed his charge many of issues have been resolved and things have started improving there, she said adding that the measures taken against smuggling have proved instrumental to overcome the evil.
She said that the Collector Sadiq undertook audits of major companies and recover pending duty and taxes that enabled the Collectoarte to show significant revenue growth. While talking about Multan Collectorate she said that the Collectoarte is also doing very well as oil based products are being frequently cleared and revenue position has improved marvelously going up while Customs Appraisement has also showed a sizeable growth in the revenue collection.
She added that the Collectorate’s ASO team has conducted a number of operations against the elements involved in smuggling of gutka and cigarettes. The Collectoarte is performing wonderfully under the leadership of Collector Saud Imran who explored new avenue of revenue collection and created deterrence against smuggling.
She added that the Collectorate of Customs Lahore Preventive is also not lagging behind any other Collectorate instead it has showed a positive growth of 34 percent in revenue collection and brought down the smuggling down remarkably.
When ask about the mega seizure of Rs 300 million of Q-Mobile warehouse in Behria Town, she said that it is very difficult to impound such godowns but the Anti-smuggling team of Lahore Preventive has made it possible. She said that that the customs officials kept waiting there for the owners who could produce any legal clearance documents against the mobiles and its accessories but no one came there to claim the responsibility and showed any legal documents against the millions of rupees illegally dumped mobiles and accessories.
In answer to question about more seizures of illegally imported Q-Mobile, she replied that these operations are information based and we have to keep the information highly secrets.
However, if they receive any information the concerned Collectoarte is fully authorize to take stern action. Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Tariq Mehmood Pasha has especially emphasized and instructed to further bring down the smuggling activities to the lowest and the central region acting upon the instructions is doing its best to create deterrence against the evil, she concluded.