Customs collection: Entrepreneurs demand automated procedures

Manual procedures hindering flow of trade: FPCCI.

ISLAMABAD: Automation of customs duty collection is the only way to ensure trade facilitation and bring the country out of its fiscal mess, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) said on Saturday.

The government is facing a revenue shortfall, while inflows from the coalition support fund and the 3G auction remain doubtful, said Tariq Mahmood, Chairman FPCCI Standing Committee on Pharmaceuticals and Law and Order. “The worrisome situation may deteriorate further until automation is introduced, which can help put the economy back on track,” he said.

Talking to women entrepreneurs at Islamabad Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI), he said that the movement of goods should be eased to reduce costs, maximise efficiency, and boost foreign exchange reserves and tax collection.

Mahmood bemoaned the rollback of the Pakistan Automated Customs Computerised System (PaCCS), and said the move has complicated the overall process of tax collection.

He said that the reintroduction of semiautomatic and manual clearance procedures was a blow to trade facilitation efforts and is resulting in delays, penalties, lost business opportunities and reduced competitiveness.

On the occasion, Samina Fazil, founder president IWCCI said that she has been receiving complaints from importers after PaCCS was replaced with the faulty Web Based One Customs (WeBOC) system. The undependable software installed on terminals exacerbates losses and the problems of illegal payments and fraud, she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2012.