The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has unveiled a new module within the WeBOC (Web-Based One Customs) system. This online Customs clearance system is designed to specifically cater to the needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), aiming to streamline their operations in the realm of international trade.
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Customs ready to form valuation advisory committee
KARACHI: Dr. Fareed Iqbal Qureshi, Director General, Customs Valuation has said that Pakistan Customs is ready to constitute an advisory committee of the stakeholders from government and business community; and he has an open-door policy for addressing all the grievances.
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First consignment from Uzbekistan arrives in Pakistan
A consignment of four cargo trucks from Uzbekistan arrived at the Torkham border, marking the commencement of trade between Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
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LEAs to get cash reward under Customs Rules
ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will give cash rewards to law enforcement agencies (LEAs) for recovery and confiscation of smuggled or non-duty paid goods under Customs laws.
The FBR issued SRO 1398(I)/2021 dated October 20, 2021, and proposed to include law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in Customs Reward Rules, 2021.
According to the draft amendment, the FBR proposed to include in reward rules the “officers and officials of other law enforcement agencies who assist Customs officers and officials or are actually instrumental in the seizure of smuggled goods and vehicles as confirmed by the respective collectorate of customs, for their meritorious conduct in such cases only after realization of part or whole of the duty and taxes involved in such cases.”
At present, the eligibility for reward stated that cash reward shall be sanctioned under the rules to the following categories of persons in cases involving evasion of duty and other taxes, and confiscation of goods, namely:
(a) officers and officials of Pakistan Customs Service for their contribution in such cases; and
(b) informer providing credible information leading to such confiscation or detection, as the case may be.
As per SRO 1386(I)/2012 dated November 26, 2021, the determination of reward has been explained as the amount of reward, in cases involving evasion of duty and other taxes, and confiscation of goods shall be determined in the following manner:
01. Where the amount of customs duty and other taxes realized is Rs500,000 or less, the amount of reward shall be 20 per cent of the customs duty and other taxes.
02. Where the amount of customs duty and other taxes realized is more than Rs500,000 but not more than Rs1,000,000, the amount of reward shall be Rs100,000 plus 10 per cent of the customs duty and other taxes in excess of Rs500,000.
03. Where the amount of customs duty and other taxes realized is over Rs1,000,000, the amount of reward shall be Rs150,000 plus 5 per cent of the customs duty and other taxes in excess of Rs1,000,000.
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FBR announces waiver of penal surcharge
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to waive the penal surcharge on goods that have overstayed at warehouses.
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Valuation committees for Afghan, Iran goods to be set up
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will constitute local valuation committee for customs valuations of goods imported or exported from Afghanistan and Iran.
Through SRO 1352 (I)/2021 dated October 14, 2021, the FBR issued draft amendments for local valuation committee rules under Section 25A of the Customs Act, 1969.
The proposed amendments would be applicable for the determination of value of goods of Afghan and Iran origin in order to regulate the Pak-Afghan bilateral trade by discouraging the incidences of under invoicing and smuggling.
The FBR said that the proposed amendments would be applicable on the Afghan and Iran origin goods, imported from Afghanistan and Iran through land routes. In case, if an item is being imported through sea route in significant quantities from Iran, then, the value of such items shall be determined in consultation with Directorate of Valuation, Karachi.
According to the draft amendments, the respective collector of customs (appraisement), on his own motion, in his area of jurisdiction may determine the customs values of any goods or category of goods imported in or exported out of Pakistan from or to Afghanistan and Iran through land customs stations through the following valuation committee constituted for the said purpose, members whereof shall be nominated by collector concerned, namely:
(a) one additional collector of the collectorate (chairman of the committee);
(b) two deputy or assistant collectors of the collectorate (Members of the committee);
(c) superintendents of principal appraisers or appraisers or inspectors as required;
(d) representative of respective chamber of commerce and industry;
(e) representative of Customs’ clearing agents association;
(f) All Pakistan Dry Fruits Importer and Exporter Association;
(g) all Pakistan Fresh Fruits Importers and Exporters Association; and
(h) any other co-opted member as deemed appropriate by the collector.
The values so determined by the collector on recommendations of the committee shall be valid for six months.
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FBR assures traders of facilitating Pak-Afghan trade
ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Saturday assured the traders of providing all facilities for the clearance of goods at the Pak-Afghan border.
Chairman Federal Board of Revenue, Dr. Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmad accompanied by Syed Tariq Huda Member(Customs Operations) and Saeed Jadoon Member (Customs Policy) on Saturday visited Torkham Border and reviewed the pace and quality of services being provided by Pakistan Customs to facilitate trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Immediately after his arrival, he ensured the clearance of about 1400 trucks loaded with fruit from Afghanistan which had got stuck at the border.
The customs staff assured him to accelerate the process of 100 more trucks awaiting clearance.
Earlier, he held an important meeting with traders from both sides of the border and assured them of all possible assistance by FBR in ensuring the smooth and easy flow of bilateral trade.
He positively hoped that the Customs staff posted there will maintain the highest standards of professional conduct in the discharge of their official duty.
It is pertinent to mention that on Friday FBR had issued an important circular granting special exemption from Sales Tax to the import of fresh fruit from Afghanistan.
This rare concession by FBR is being appreciated by traders from both sides as a landmark decision that will certainly promote trade between the two neighboring countries.
A day earlier, the FBR issued a press release stating that the chairman would visit the Pak-Afghan border to oversee the function of currency declaration.
The FBR through the press release denied reports of currency smuggling.
It said Pakistan Customs has made it mandatory for all passengers flying out of the country to undergo thorough personal scrutiny and 100 per cent declaration of currency through an automated process in order to ward off this nefarious illegal activity. This leaves the little possibility of the subject undesirable practice.
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PSW to reduce trade cost, time, and complications: Tarin
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Friday said that Pakistan Single Window (PSW) will facilitate trade by reducing cost, time and complications.
Shaukat Tarin presided over the first meeting of Governing Council of PSW held at the Finance Division.
The finance minister appreciated the progress and stated that PSW will reduce time, cost and complications while contributing significantly towards ease of doing business in the country.
He said that PSW will enable Pakistan to unlock its potential in becoming a hub for regional as well as international trade and transit.” Deep rooted reforms being undertaken under PSW program by the government will promote trade competitiveness with enhanced transparency and efficiency,” Tarin added.
The new system will leverage information and communication technology to ensure better compliance with the cross-border trade regulations.
The finance minister commended the efforts of Pakistan Customs as the lead agency of PSW program and all those who have been part of PSW, a transformational project, which will take Pakistan’s trade to the next level. He affirmed full support and facilitation on the occasion.
The Secretary of the Governing Council briefed the Finance Minister about the PSW, a virtual system which is connecting the concerned Ministries, Customs, port authorities, banks and other relevant departments after major process re-engineering to provide a single window for management of international trade.
The PSW is a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport in Pakistan to lodge standardized information and documents at a single registration point.
This eliminates the hidden costs and removes inefficiencies in governance of international trade including logistics.
He further briefed that first phase of PSW program has been rolled out while its 2nd and 3rd phases will be completed within the next two years.
The implementation of PSW will make Pakistan’s ports competitive by minimizing the transaction costs and also enhance efficient provision of B2B and B2C value added services. The cargo would be cleared in a minimum possible time.
Over 75 regulatory departments will be fully integrated through ICT based system, providing a single point of entry to facilitate trading across borders with minimal need for any physical contact, he added.
The Governing Council (GC) is the apex body in the approved Business model of PSW under Pakistan Single Window Act, promulgated in April this year.
The GC comprises of key stakeholders and prominent private sector subject specialists to oversee timely completion of this important project while removing hurdles in its implementation.
The Finance Minister is the Chairperson of PSW’s Governing Council which also includes Secretary Commerce, Secretary M/o NFS&R, Secretary Maritime Affairs, Secretary Science & Technology, Secretary Narcotics Control Division, Member Customs Operations and CEO PSW Company.
Among others, Federal Secretary for Narcotics Akbar Durrani, Additional Secretary Commerce, Additional Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Member Customs FBR and senior officers of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science & Technology, Ministry of Maritime Affairs participated in the meeting.
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FBR rebuts currency smuggling to Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) strongly rebutted the reports of currency smuggling from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
In a statement issued on Friday, the FBR categorically rebutted the unfounded, malicious intent and misleading in content propaganda being advanced by some irresponsible elements that there was a huge flight of dollars from Pakistan.
It is further clarified that previously the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan was carried out in US Dollars but now the same is being conducted in Pak Rupees (PKR).
Furthermore, FBR has taken very stringent enforcement measures at the Airports to eliminate the possibility of any such an unethical practice.
Pakistan Customs has made it mandatory for all passengers flying out of the country to undergo thorough personal scrutiny and 100 per cent declaration of currency through an automated process in order to ward off this nefarious illegal activity. This leaves the little possibility of the subject undesirable practice.
It is most likely that Chairman FBR and Member (Customs Operations) will visit the Pak-Afghan border to oversee the functioning of the above mechanism on the ground.
It is further reiterated that this transparent and efficient mechanism being adopted at all the airports across Pakistan is facilitating the smooth and easy movement of outbound passengers, thus significantly reducing their time and cost.
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Draft rules issued for Uzbekistan-Pakistan transit trade
ISLAMABAD, April 17, 2025 — The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has taken a major step to enhance regional trade by issuing draft rules for the Uzbekistan-Pakistan Transit Trade (UPTT) mechanism. These regulations aim to formalize and streamline the movement of goods between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, promoting cross-border trade through efficient logistics and transparent customs procedures.
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