LAHORE: The Collectorate of Customs Appraisement has attained growth of 9 percent during the month of November of financial year 2017-18 as compared to the corresponding month of the fiscal year 2016-17.
The Customs Appraisement has collected customs duty of Rs 3,334 million in November against the Rs 3,223 million collected during the same period of financial year 2016-17. The Collectorate of Appraisement collected extra amount of taxes in the same duration. The Collectorate of Appraisement collected Rs 7.7 billion in first four months of fiscal years of 2017-18.
The Collectorate not only achieved growth of 9 percent as compared to the last year but also exceeded the target by 47 percent. It is perhaps due to the strategies the department had adopted and brought about many changes in the Collectorate at every level.
Collector Jamil Nasir said, “The Collectorate had also met its revenue target in the previous months and this consistent increase in revenue was made possible only because of the initiatives taken by the department.”
Nasir added that collection also increases with a decrease in the cost of doing business at the dry ports of Lahore. “The cost was reduced through streamlining of clearance procedures and restructuring of various sections and branches of the collectorate,” he added.
Moving ahead, he observed that the jump in customs duty collection during November 2017 is a clear indication of the fact that the business-friendly measures aimed at trade facilitation are delivering.
“I am confident that the Collectorate will not only achieve its target in the coming days but also reduce the cost of doing business further,” Nasir said and added the facilitation measures taken by his team will hopefully attract the leading manufacturers and importers for customs clearance from the dry ports of Lahore.
He also added that recovery of pending amount has increased in last three months. He said that customs appraisement will do every best effort to facilitate the importers and to collect their assigned target before the given time.