Author: Hamza Shahnawaz

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is contemplating the imposition of charges for customs clearance services, a move empowered by Section 18D of the Customs Act, 1969.

Section 18C of Customs Act, 1969 determined rate of duties in Pakistan under international treaties.

The FBR issued updated Customs Act, 1969 up to June 30, 2021. The act has been updated by making amendments brought through Finance Act, 2021.

Following is the text of section 18C of the Customs Act, 1969:

18C. Rates of duty and taxes and determination of origin under trade agreements.- (1) Where under a trade agreement between the Government of Pakistan and the Government of a foreign country or territory, duty at a rate lower than that specified in the First Schedule is to be charged on articles which are the produce or manufacture of such foreign country or territory, the Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, make rules for determining if any article is the produce or manufacture of such foreign country or territory and for requiring the owner to make a claim at the time of importation, supported by such evidence as may be prescribed in the said rules, for assessment at the appropriate lower rate under such agreement.

(2) Where in respect of any article, a preferential rate of duty is specified in the First Schedule, or is admissible by virtue of a notification under sub-section (1), the duty to be levied and collected shall be at the standard rate unless the owner of the article claims at the time of importation that it is chargeable with a preferential rate of duty, being the produce or manufacture of such preferential or free trade area, as is notified under sub-section (3) and the article is determined, in accordance with the rules made under sub-section (1) to be such produce or manufacture.

(3) For the purposes of this section and the First Schedule ―preferential area or free trade area‖ means any country or territory which the Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, declare to be such area.

(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-sections (1) and (2), where the Federal Government is satisfied that, in the interests of trade including promotion of exports, it is necessary to take immediate action for discontinuing the preferential rate or increasing the preferential rate to a rate not exceeding the standard rate, or decreasing the preferential rate, in respect of an article specified in the First Schedule, the Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, direct discontinuation of, or increase or decrease, as the case may be, the preferential rate.

(Disclaimer: The text of above section is only for information. Team PkRevenue.com makes all efforts to provide the correct version of the text. However, the team PkRevenue.com is not responsible for any error or omission.)

READ MORE: FBR may impose additional custom duty on imports

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been empowered to impose additional custom duty on import of goods under Section 18A of Customs Act, 1969.

The FBR issued updated Customs Act, 1969 up to June 30, 2021. The act has been updated by making amendments brought through Finance Act, 2021.

Following is the text of section 18A of the Customs Act, 1969:

18A. Special customs duty on imported goods.- The Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, levy a special customs duty on the importation of such of the goods specified in the First Schedule as are of the same kind as goods produced or manufactured in Pakistan, at a rate not exceeding the rate of duty of excise leviable under the Federal Excise Act, 2005, on the goods produced or manufactured in Pakistan:

Provided that the exemption of any goods from the whole or any part of the duty of excise for the time being in force shall not prevent the Federal Government from levying a special customs duty on the importation of goods of the same kind:

Provided further that, for the purposes of the Sales Tax Act 1990 (VII of 1990), the special customs duty shall not constitute a part of the value of supply.

(Disclaimer: The text of above section is only for information. Team PkRevenue.com makes all efforts to provide the correct version of the text. However, the team PkRevenue.com is not responsible for any error or omission.)

READ MORE: Rate of customs duty in Pakistan on imports