World Customs Day was observed on January 26. On this day international customs related community renewed its pledge that they would not only eliminate financial crimes from their country, but would also simplify international trade procedures. Due to fast changing international situation a new definition of the role of custom has become inevitable.
Terrorism has affected international trade prompting developed as well developing countries to initiate new security measures. In the prevailing circumstances the trading community should remain aware of the situation so no country would be deprived of the benefits of these steps.
The large-scale illegal movement of narcotics, substandard products and goods used for the purpose of terrorism and the matters of the human smuggling are new challenges for the customs departments across the globe.
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) plays an important role in framing customs related policies in Pakistan, but making it a full stop would not be sufficient, rather more reforms should be introduced in it. Pakistan Customs should be tasked to work along with business community.
Similarly, the process of reforms should be more simplified and automated. During the first six months of the current financial year 2007-08, Customs Collectorate Peshawar has achieved distinct position in revenue collection providing a strong support to FBR.
The trading community has also appreciated the performance of the Collectorate. The seizure of the huge quantities of narcotics and ammunitions and other prohibited goods was another step towards the success stories of the department.
The achievement is the result of the hard struggle and teamwork of the customs officials, who remain busy in the implementation of the customs laws and regulations day and night. But, the journey towards bringing more improvement is still continuing. So like other international organisations, Pakistan's Customs should also commemorate this day with zeal of achieving more targets of service to people.
The role of FBR and Reforms: A number of measures have been taken for bringing improvement in the tax system. Efforts are also on for encouraging filing of tax returns by making the procedure more simple and people friendly. The measure taken by FBR in this regard has changed the people's thinking and ideas about the body.
The implementation of the measures for elimination of the menace of corruption in tax collecting machinery have been welcomed by all concerned. Of the reforms the CARE Project of the FBR was an important step and its implementation has helped in making Pakistan's Customs as a modern and effective organisation, which has largely benefited the national economy.
This was a totally new system in which traders deposit their dues from their own offices and clear goods for manufacturing units from Karachi as well as other cities of the country. The system has been launched on experimental basis with automated risk system. The system would help increase the pace of clearance and the work, which was taking 15 days, would now take only 24 hours.
The launching of customs administrative reforms from big city like Karachi was in fact a big step and FBR has introduced a number of reforms. The reforms have helped develop an understanding and friendly atmosphere for both taxpayers and tax collectors.
Particularly the launching of E-Filing has enabled the tax payers to claim their tax returns from their own offices. He said that the head of FBR paid visits to Customs Stations in Torkham and Peshawar Dry port and resolved the problems confronting the business community on the spot. He also met different delegation of traders and industrialists and assured them that the government was making collection system people friendly.
The present government has done a lot in the sector. The procedure has been simplified and the administrative set up of FBR has been strengthened. Proper attention was being given to the training of the work force.
The wages have been increased and the trend of bargaining between taxpayers and tax collectors had been abolished. Automated system had been introduced and the exporters and importers are now in a position to clear their cargoes while sitting in their own offices.
Similarly, businessmen can now make assessment of their duties and taxes on their own and could claim their rebate even before customs declaration and would be able to make online cargo clearance.
A unified customs system had been introduced throughout the country as the department of customs had done a remarkable job for bringing the domestic customs laws at par with the international customs laws. Peshawar Customs Collectorate: Before 1944, Collector Customs was used to sit in New Delhi and the whole sub-continent was managed through only one Collectorate, whose head office was in Delhi.
Deputy Collectors and Assistant Collectors were deployed at different areas of the continent. As our province was having salt mines, which was a big source for the earning of revenue and the Assistant Collector used to sit at the then Salt House, Kohat.
The first assistant collector was Buster Goodwin, who was later promoted and posted as deputy collector Lahore. Goodwin is also the writer of a book "Life among the Pathans". During his stay in the province he had written a lot on the customs, traditions, life, clothes, language, and other matters of the people of the province.
Before 1951, Torkham and Tall Customs Stations were running under the supervision of the provincial government of NWFP and the taxes were used to be collected by the provincial government while the revenue at Pak-Afghan border was used to be collected by the Naib Tehsildar. However, after 1951 the charge of Torkham and Tall were handed over to federal government.
In 1st July 1974 the Peshawar Model Customs Collectorate was established on the demand and struggle of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Frontier Customs Agents Group NWFP and the Lahore Customs Collectorate was separated from Peshawar Model Customs Collectorate and the Rawalpindi Collectorate is subordinate with Peshawar Collectorate and this continued upto 1981. Then Rawalpindi Collectorate was separated from Peshawar Collectorate.
(The writer is the chairman of Frontier Customs Agents Group NWFP and member executive committee Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Peshawar.)
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