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CBR to carryout warehouse audit

SOHAIL SARFRAZ

ISLAMABAD: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has decided to carry out comprehensive audit of warehouses of bonded goods in the country on an urgent basis to ascertain their involvement in smuggling.

The decision was taken at a meeting of top customs officials chaired by CBR Chairman Riaz Hussain Naqvi.

The meeting focused on the progress of proposed action plan outlined by the Cabinet Committee on control of smuggling. Important decisions about the regularisation of smuggled goods in Bara Markets and establishment of check-posts in Tribal Areas were also taken.

The meeting decided that the show-cause notices should be issued to the owners of those warehouses who were not adhering to rules and regulations. However, licenses of only those warehouses will be revoked where replies were found defective and unsatisfactory.

Sources informed Business Recorder that the meeting also decided that after the expiry of the deadline of the amnesty scheme, Customs staff like all other agencies engaged in anti-smuggling work will gear up efforts to apprehend more smuggled vehicles. At the same time all Collectors of Customs would immediately furnish total number of vehicles regularised and the amount of duty and tax realised.

The meeting decided that after consultations with the provincial government, Collector of Customs, Peshawar would furnish a comprehensive report about the establishment of additional three check-posts in the Tribal Areas indicating composition of the staff deployed for checking. The Collector Peshawar will also dilate upon establishment of a single joint check-post on the main GT Road and the role as well as identification of "lead agency" in the joint checking squad.

The meeting also observed that the collectors concerned must chalk out plan to provide requisite support to the provincial government in accordance with the provisions of Customs Act 1969 when so requested by the later during raids against defaulting Bara Markets. The plan so devised and framed by the collectorates should be furnished to the Board within a week.

The chief secretaries concerned should be informed of the expiry of deadline for regularisation of smuggled goods in Bara Markets on April 13, 2000.

Chairman Riaz Hussain Naqvi said that the Cabinet Committee decision was sufficient enough to attract the owners of Bara Markets and any further notice through electronic and print media by CBR or collectorates was not required. The facility so offered to the retailer outlets to regularise their goods by paying leviable amount of duty and taxes would expire on April 12, 2000.

The Chairman directed the collectors to prepare action plan about Bara Markets and be ready to provide the requisite support to the provincial governments when it initiates action against the defaulting retailers outlets.

The meeting was also attended by Member Customs Mir Fuad; Zafar Iqbal Collector of Customs (Preventive) Karachi; Saeed Akhtar Director Customs Intelligence and Investigation, Lahore; Hafiz Muhammad Anees Collector of Customs, Peshawar; Aftab Anwar Baloch Collector of Customs, Lahore; Muhammad Afzal Bhatti, Collector of Customs, Rawalpindi; Amir M. Khan Marwat Chief (Customs Tariff-II) CBR.