Customs department has decided to recommend to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to exempt the consignments worth US$1500 from submitting mandatory Electronic I Form (EIF) at Air Freight Unit (AFU). A decision to this effect was taken by Collector (Preventive) Dr Saifuddin Junejo at a meeting with the members of the FPCCI standing committee on customs agents held here the other day at the Federation House. The meeting was presided over by the committee's chairman Qamar Alam.
The committee members on this occasion strongly suggested to the collector (Preventive) to recommend to the central bank to exempt the consignments worth US$1500 from submitting EIF at the AFU as the customs officials were minting money for clearing the said consignments without EIF, said All Pakistan Customs Agents Association's (APCAA) senior vice president Arshad Jamal.
He said that the collector was informed that the customs staff has monopolised the whole system at the AFU, creating hurdles for swift clearance of consignments. He said that the collector was also requested to extend the consignments delivery timings at the AFU and increase also the number of staff so as to facilitate the stakeholders. "It was on our request that the collector not only agreed to establish FTA counter at the Customs House, but also extended the consignments delivery timings at AFU from 10am to 7pm," he said.
The collector also told the committee that Customs department had made fresh recruitments and as such the issue of shortage of staff would be resolved in a couple of months, Arshad added.