One-member Commission, on smuggling of arms and ammunition, in its fact-finding report expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of FBRs support organisations in controlling tax evasion on imports and smuggling, which included Directorate General of Customs Intelligence and Investigation; Directorate General of Customs Valuation; Directorate General of Post Clearance Audit; Directorate General of Internal Audit and Directorate of Input-Output Coefficient Organisation. Sources told on Saturday that the former FBR Member Customs, Ramzan Bhatti has made valuable recommendations to improve working of the FBRs support organisations in his fact-finding report. Referring to the report, sources said there are about half a dozen support organisations ie the Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation, Directorate General of Customs Valuation, the Directorate General of Post Clearance Audit, the Directorate General of Internal Audit, the Directorate of Input-Output Coefficient Organisation, Project Director WeBOC and the Directorate General of Training and Research. It was revealed by the senior officers of these organisations that their role in raising revenue or eradicating tax evasion was minimal because of shortage of funds and personnel, posting of comparatively disgruntled with hardly any clarity and up-gradation of the job descriptions of concerned employees. The Commission also observed that the Directorate General of Customs Valuation, which is mainly responsible for issuing Valuation Advices/Rulings and fixation of Customs Values under Section 25A and 25D of the Customs Act, 1969, had issued 428 Valuation Rulings and fixed values of 3,700 items, covering only 6 percent of total imports into Pakistan. This performance, of course, needs improvement as the Customs Valuation Department shall issue rulings/fix values of more than 50 percent of total imports whether taxed or exempted under the concessionary notifications, sources referred to the report. Sources said the Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation has recently made good cases wherein the unscrupulous persons had taken away the goods from the notified Customs Stations by breaking the systems. However, the officers of Customs Intelligence as well as Customs Preventive have shown their inability to take action against the smuggling dens in Sohrab Goth and Yousuf Goth in Karachi. Keeping in view the extent of tax evasion through notified Customs locations along with the volume of smuggled goods, performance of Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation falls short of expectations. There is a need to revitalise this Directorate General by raising a force of at least 1,500 personnel through performance-based contract hiring of retired SSG Commandos for field work and computer experts as well as financial analysts to detect the tax evasion either by breaking the systems or by understating the value and quantity of imported goods. Sources further said the role of Directorate General of Post Clearance Audit is not being properly felt in the Department. The reasons stated are shortage of qualified officers/staff and the absence of wherewithal including technological support. There is again a need for conducting a diagnostic study to make this Directorate General vibrant to achieve assigned targets in the automated environment. Sources said the Directorate of IOCO is reportedly handicapped due to fragmentation of its functions and involvement of other Departments in Customs. The Directorate General of Training and Research is a place where officers classified as unwanted, medically unfit, approaching retirement or waiting for investigations/prosecutions are posted. Again the trainees and the trainers lack motivation and consider deputation as punishment. There is a need to built training complexes at Islamabad and other regional places to provide the requisite environment as per International Standards and keep the trainees and trainers away from the Customs Houses/Stations as most of the trainees escape training and prefer to attend their nearby workplaces to pocket the daily speed money. The newly recruited officers need a healthy and positive environment before marching in to their workplaces, sources added.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 00:35:15 +0000
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