KARACHI: The government has enhanced monetary threshold of principal appraisers and superintendents for adjudication with condition of reducing time limit to 90 days for deciding cases.
Through Finance Bill 2019, it has been proposed to redefine the monetary threshold of the officers of customs for adjudication. The bill also proposed to abolish the power of assistance collector in adjudicating matters.
According to budget commentary of EY Ford Rhodes, the following powers of adjudication have been proposed as compared with existing powers:
Power of adjudication
Under Section 179 of Customs Act, 1969
(i) Collector: No limit – No change in present power
(ii) Additional Collector: Not exceeding three million rupees – No change in present power
(iii) Deputy Collector: Not exceeding one million rupees – No change in existing power
(iv) Assistant Collector: Not exceeding five hundred thousand rupees: the power of assistance collector proposed to be deleted
(v) Superintendent: Not exceeding fifty thousand rupees: proposed that it should not exceeding one hundred thousand rupees
(vi) Principal Appraiser: Not exceeding fifty thousand rupees: it is proposed it should not exceeding one hundred thousand rupees.
The Finance Bill further seeks to reduce the time period to decide the cases within ninety days instead of existing one hundred and twenty days.
