The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has taken some major decisions to improve working of the Web-Based One Customs (WEBOC) clearance system including constitution of a committee comprising senior customs officials to develop concept papers for different modules of WEBOC.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Saturday that the FBR has taken the decision in the last meeting to finalise matters on the Pakistan Customs Computerised System (PACCS) and WEBOC. The meeting was convened to further thrash out the issues related to WEBOC implementation/operations. The decisions also related to the applicability of statutory regulatory orders (SROs) during clearance of consignments under the WEBOC.
It has been decided that the committee comprising of field Collectors of Karachi as well as Collectors of Peshawar and Quetta would be formed. This committee would examine and assent to concept papers being developed for different modules of WEBOC. The Project Director may co-opt any other officer on need basis. Secondly, the exercise of developing 12 digits Pakistan Customs Tariff (PCT) for 200 items may be completed by the project team. Board would have to get legal cover for the 12 digit PCT for clearance of consignments under the WEBOC. Implementation of 12 digits PCT may be done in budget 2012-2013, if possible or at some later stage.
Thirdly, the system may be immediately improved so that an "apart", blinks on the screen of Appraising Officer whenever he comes across a PCT on which a valuation ruling is available. Fourthly, Deputy Directors of Project team would visit up country. Collectorates to evaluate their preparedness with respect to roll out of WeBOC. The Board will issue directions to these Collectorates to provide necessary support for making this exercise meaningful.
Fifthly, WEBOC Project office would communicate with the vendor directly to know the effects of implementation of C-2 Audit on the system. Sixthly, the Project Office to work out a procedure for issuance of User IDs and for making changes in the system. Seventhly, the Project Director may be authorised to hire the services of IT consultant. The Board would provide budget to the project for hiring of such consultants. Eight, the proposal of setting up an entity of countering computer crimes, to be examined and its configuration to be proposed by the project team.
Following decisions have been taken relating to the SRO feeding in the WEBOC:
Income Tax exemptions and Sales Tax exemptions may not be considered by the system as SROs.
2. The system shows a code at the end of each SRO like SRO 567(1)/2006-20080 where 20080 was a system generated code. Visibility of this code may be removed under the WEBOC.
3. Additional customs duty and special customs duty may also be included in the "Exemption", drop down menu.
4. The field of "Exemption Rate" may be changed to, "Applied Rate".
5. The field of "SRO Date", may be changed to , "SRO issuance date".
6. In quota related field provision to enter both nation-wide as well as individual quotas may be made.
7. While National Tax Number (NTN) is entered into the SRO, it should get validated from the NTN database available in WEBOC.
8. System to be developed to manage a situation in which a PCT heading gets deleted but goods relating to that PCT are lying in the bond pending for clearance.
9. When expiry date of an SRO is not given, the relevant field should automatically display 2040 as the expiry date, technical and legal decisions of the WEBOC added. The above mentioned decisions would expedite clearance of imported consignments under the WEBOC, sources added.
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