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Lahore Customs surpass collection target

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The collectorate of Customs Lahore collected Rs. 543.40 million in February, surpassing the target of Rs. 540 million set by the CBR for the month, showing an increase of 30 percent against the figure collected during the corresponding month last year.

This was claimed by a spokesman of the collectorate here on Thursday.

He said the total collection of the last year was Rs. 417.60 million.

Progressive collection of Customs duties during July 1999-February 2000 stood at Rs. 4,657.08 million as against the collection of Rs. 3,879.14 million during the same period of last year, showing an increase of Rs. 777.94 million.

He said a target of Rs. 4,275 million was assigned to the collectorate for July 1999-February 2000, adding that the department not only achieved the target, but also surpassed the same by Rs. 382.08 million.

Furthermore, he said, the anti-smuggling cell of the collectorate made 33 seizures of contraband goods during the month of February, valuing Rs. 26.90 million as compared to 12 cases valuing Rs. 7.13 million during the corresponding month of 1999.

He said most of the seized goods comprised art silk cloth, dry battery cells, lead pencils, ball bearings, plastic beads and gold, etc.

During July 1999-Feb-2000, the total number of seizures stood at 185, valuing Rs. 110.517 million as compared to 113 cases, valuing Rs. 56.47 million during the corresponding period of last year, he added.

The amnesty scheme announced by the federal government has also attracted a large number of owners of non-duty paid vehicles and more than 476 vehicles have so far been regularised, and Rs. 106 million have been added to the national exchequer in terms of duty and taxes, the spokesman said.

He said most of the non-duty paid vehicles included Toyota Corolla cars, Charade, Starlet, Nissan and Mercedes Benz vehicles.

Meanwhile, Customs Collector Aftab Anwar Baloch and Deputy Collector Dr. Asif Mehmood Jah have advised all the law-abiding citizens to come forward and get their non-duty paid vehicles regularised under the scheme.

They warned that after March 15, a vigorous crackdown would be launched and all illegal vehicles would not only but seized but confiscated outrightly.

Customs collector has also commended the efforts of the offices and staff in the revenue collection during the last eight months of the current fiscal year and urged them to work more efficiently and with dedication during the remaining four months.