20000419

Exporters complain

about ST notices

at EPB meeting

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Exporters related their tales of woe at a high-level meeting held at the Export Promotion Bureau on Monday.

The meeting was attended by Mirza Qamar Baig, Secretary Commerce, Younus Khan, Additional Secretary Finance, Syed Masood Alam Rizvi, EPB Vice Chairman, leading exporters and Munir Qureshi, Collector Customs (Export ), who has been appointed coordinator by the CBR to liaise between various tax departments and the exporters.

Exporters told the meeting of the notices issued by the Collectorate West to the exporters calling upon them to explain the decline in out put tax and to give details about the yarn used in making export goods. They said this action had no precedent and the other Sales Collectorate in Karachi had not issued any such notices. The meeting wondered how one collectorate was acting differently when there were uniform sales tax laws prevalent in the country.

The question of stoppage of some export consignments also came up for discussions and exporters complained that despite clear instructions from the CBR, the staff of the Collectorate was preventing export of towels, etc. The Collector Export pledged to look into the matter and ensure that the CBR order regarding stock lot quality was fully implemented.

The exporters informed the meeting that the Income Tax Department frequently harassed the exporters and demanded their books of account in spite of the fact that 0.5 percent tax was deducted from export proceeds and was considered final assessment.

The exporters of engineering goods complained about the certification of quality from the Pakistan Standard Institution (PSI) for the export of engineering goods. They cited the new condition of ISO 9000 mandatory for every firm engaged in export of engineering goods and said that all such conditions were adversely affecting exports.

The meeting was the first in a series planned by the Ministry of Commerce to remove hurdles in the way of exports. The next meeting will be held with representatives of other sectors of export at a later date.