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Bara markets want extension in deadline, cut in duty

IQBAL KHATTAK

PESHAWAR: The Bara Markets traders have put forward three major conditions to the government before agreeing to pay customs duty on dumped smuggled goods worth million of dollars.

An official source told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that the three demands are: extension in deadline; depreciation in duty tax and that crackdown on smuggled goods must start in other provinces first.

These demands were forwarded during a meeting of traders with commissioner Peshawar last week. "No decision is yet taken on their demands. The proposals have actually been sent to the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) and the Interior ministry," the source said.

He said the CBR might consider the demand for extension in deadline as it looked 'genuine' and 'reasonable'. The source added: "The CBR is likely to take a decision soon. But it is difficult to tell at this time what it will decide."

Haji Waris, an active member of Bara Markets Traders Association, had earlier said that the government should launch such crackdown either from Karachi or Lahore first because there "are more smuggled goods in the two cities than Peshawar."

Asked what was the reaction of commissioner Peshawar to the other two demands, the source said the commissioner did not react at that moment. "He was just listening to the traders' viewpoints on the issue."

The Federal government on January 13 last announced a three-month period for the Bara Markets traders to legalise their goods, warning that failing to do so would lead to a crackdown. The deadline expires on April 13.

Since January 13, not a single trader has visited the Customs Department to pay taxes on the smuggled goods. "Not a single case has come in almost three months period," a Customs Department official told this newspaper.

He said it seemed the traders believed that the government, like all previous ones, would not go ahead with its own agenda. "In the past, there were some movements on part of the government to eliminate smuggling, but they bowed to political pressure."

The official, requesting not to be named, said the Customs Department was quiet. "There are no movements on our part. Only newspapers are trying to make an issue out of it," he remarked.

He dispelled the impression that the government might not succeed to break the traders' resistance. "The writ of the government is always successful. There are some reasons which make the government's resolve more stronger than before," the Customs official said. However, he stopped short of giving details of the reasons.