Uniform customs duty: 'government agrees to notify prices of imported vehicles'
ZAHEER ABBASI
ISLAMABAD (March 14 2008): The government has agreed to notify prices of imported vehicles for uniform customs duty across the country, the Chairman of All Pakistan Motor Dealers Association, H M Shahzad told Business Recorder on Thursday.
Clarifying a news item published in Business Recorder about APMDA moving the FBR against Karachi custom officials, allegedly involved in wrong assessment of duty, Shahzad said all their legitimate demands were accepted on Wednesday night at a meting that decided to notify prices of vehicles.
A meeting of the committee, set up by the Chairman of Federal Board of Revenue, on Saturday decided to notify prices of vehicles imported from Japan under used cars scheme. The decision, he hoped, would reduce duty theft and increase revenue.
Giving details, he said the notification of prices will bring about uniformity in duty on imported vehicles at all ports in the country. Previously, he said two different sets of valuation were being applied for assessment of vehicles imported under TR/Gift/Baggage schemes - higher for vehicles imported under baggage scheme and lower for vehicles imported by local agents of the manufacturers. To a question, he hoped the notification will be issued in a day or two.
"All issues between association and custom officials were settled," he said referring to rounds of talks held with officials during last eight days that culminated in an agreement for notification of prices.
He said a committee was constituted by the Federal Board of Revenue headed by Chief Collector Sindh and Balochistan Munir Qureshi and represented by Chairman APMDA, Vice Chairman APDM and Secretary General of the association. Director General Evaluation Custom was also the member of the committee. The committee discussed the issue extensively in the light of evidences submitted by the motor dealers association and finally agreed to notify the prices.