Exporters against curtailment of customs collectorates’ powers

PTEA rejects move; says will hurt growth in exports.

FAISALABAD: The Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has rejected a move to curtail the powers of the Model Customs Collectorates (MCCs) and transferring them to the Input Output Coefficient Organization (IOCO) in Karachi.

“Any change in the customs policy regime without consultation with stakeholders will not be accepted,” the body’s chairman said while talking to the media here on Monday.

PTEA Chairman Asghar Ali and Vice Chairman Muhammad Asif said that the shifting of all key imports and exports-related powers of customs collectorates, like export authorisations, approvals, reduced duty rate notifications and the regulating and monitoring of all concessionary and duty remission export schemes to IOCO would hamper growth in exports.

“This major policy shift, substantially enhancing IOCO’s powers, has been made without consultation with stakeholders,” they complained. “Exporters across the country will be disadvantaged, as they will have to go to Karachi physically for all imports and exports-related approvals, and approvals for Duty and Tax Remission for Export (DTRE) schemes and other concessionary and duty remission export schemes.”

They also asked whether IOCO has a sufficient workforce and infrastructure to deal with all import and export-related schemes across the country. “This move has created a panic-like situation among exporters, as they were not expecting such an anti-export measure by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR),” they claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2013.

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